Darcy & Melanie: Fireworks and Muffins
by Maya6996
Summary: When Candor-born Darcy is put under custody of Dauntless, she quickly becomes friends with Dauntless-born Melanie shortly before initiation begins. While Darcy is fond of fireworks, Melanie is feeding the entire faction with her homemade muffins and special brownies. Together they will drive Dauntless leaders Eric and Riley insane while Max tries not to die of a stroke. Rated M
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, folks. While suffering from a writer's block of epic proportions - nay, biblical even - I spent days on Tumblr, feeling utterly sorry for myself. I got to chatting with one of my favourite fanfic writers over there and within minutes we began fantasising how life would be in Dauntless. Before we even realised it, the fantasy grew out of control and transformed itself into a story. The next day she began writing after a prompt I posted to her about her character Darcy and I asked her if it was okay if I could write about the event from my character's POV, Melanie.**

 **Since then we've been writing nonstop. We sleep for a few hours, wake up and start writing almost immediately again while chatting. Slowly but surely we started having a small but loyal fanbase and some asked us when the story is going to be posted on FFN. It is my honour to present you all with our collaboration. The nickname of his marvelous writer is eric-imagine (can you tell she is a member of Team Eric?). If you have Tumblr, go find her!**

 **So, the story is written as followed: Darcy (eric-imagine) has the uneven chapters, Melanie (written by me) the even. Later on both Eric and Riley will make appearances with their own POVs.**

 **This story israted M due to language, and in later chapters due to rated-M stuff... you know...**

 **And since we've already written 14 chapters, I'll update regurlarly, like twice a week.**

 **I won't give away too much about them crazy girls other than that Darcy loves fireworks and Melanie is fond of muffins and brownies. Enjoy and leave a review!**

 **UPDATE: she finally has her own FFN account. show Destination56 some love, people!**

* * *

 **DARCY**

"Says here you have five charges for arson." The one called Max holds the thick report in his hands and I look down at the metal shackles on mine.

"I …well." I swallow dryly and look at the two other leaders sitting next to him. Their eyes obviously showing that they don't believe a thing as small as me could create such a big boom. "In all fairness… uhm, sir." I look back to Max. "Th-that one involving the mailman was an accident." The shackles clink as I tend to talk with my hands. "It shouldn't really count, he woke up… eventually."

I hear a quiet chuckle and look over at the leader on the end, he has his arms folded behind his head. He leans forward placing his hands in front of him on the table and locks his fingers together. His arms are large and look like they could tear a man in half. My eyes drag over to the other, younger leader leaning back in his chair, he doesn't look amused. He looks bored. And angry. I'm already afraid of him.

"Darcy, do you know why you're here?" Max sets the file down and looks at me.

"Because I blew something up?" I smile awkwardly.

"Because you _keep_ blowing things up."

"I'm sorry." I press my lips into a line and stare down at my feet innocently. "I promise I won't do it anymore–"

"Your file also says compulsive liar." Max cuts me off. "Which is very strange coming from a Candor."

"Yeah, I can see why.. that.." I nod. "Would be weird." My eyes meet his again. The big one on the end. He's not smiling anymore but something in his eyes tells me he's enjoying every second of this.

"You almost killed a man with a broken piece of pipe…" Max flips the page and mumbles, "Which is hard to believe."

"Alright, that guy had it coming." I say. Max's eyes linger on me and I look back down. The guy really did have it coming he was harassing me.

"You lit the school's courtyard on fire." Max drones.

"There was a spider…" I mumble.

"Twice." He adds and I can only shrug. "You have been in multiple fights. The note here says you have anger issues."

"I don't–what? No, I don't have anger issues." I laugh airily. "They were just… mild misunderstandings."

"You sent a boy to the hospital with a–"

"A broken collarbone, I know." I nod. "He was…" I shake my head and feel my anger rising, "He kept… He kept putting his arm around me and trying to–" I can't even finish the sentence I'm getting angry and if I get too worked up I'll get a rash on my neck.

"And what is this ….You dressed as an Erudite and spent a whole day…what does that say.. sabotaging the science classrooms. In turn causing certain chemicals to trigger… Eric what does that say?"

"An exothermic reaction. She relabeled the Hydrogen Sulfide and Nitric Acid, then set up water to be added into concentrated acid." Eric's eyes drag to me and I feel the weight behind them.

"That…" I raise a finger to say something and then press it to my lips, "I'm not proud of that." I narrow my eyes. "A whole class lost their eyebrows. It was tragic." I try to put a serious face on.

Max takes a deep breath and exhales slowly with closed eyes. He closes my report, "Okay.. I can't read anymore of this. Darcy, you'll be registered into the correctional program and then your initiation will begin." He stands up and the door behind me opens, as I turn I hear him say to the other two, "Keep her out of the ammunition storage and away from matches."


	2. Chapter 2

**Melanie**

The door opens, and out walk Riley and Eric with a blonde girl in shackles between them. Our eyes meet and I quickly bite my bottom lip when I see the mischievous glittering in her green eyes despite the innocent face she is sporting like a pro.

I don't know her – yet – but already I sense that I just met my evil twin sister, even though she is smaller and slimmer than me… and well… yeah… whiter.

Riley clears his throat and I redirect my attention to my second favourite leader of the entire city, with my signature smirk firmly in place. "Melanie," he greets me pleasantly.

"Hi, Riley," I say cheerfully. I nod to Eric who is just glaring at me as if he is counting to one hundred to keep himself from strangling me, and my smirk falters slightly.

Well, shit…

"Do I even want to know?" Riley asks me with a lopsided grin while he loosely holds the blonde's elbow. She watches me closely, and doesn't even attempt to hide her curiosity.

I shrug. "I honestly didn't know that Ezra is allergic to nuts. I just wanted to say sorry to him with my special banana pecan nuts muffins for hurting his wrist-"

"Breaking his wrist," Eric interrupts with a vicious glare that wipes the smirk of my face. "All eight of his carpal bones were shattered thanks to your dare. Such coincidence, only a few days before initiation begins."

I shrug again, not quite sure what to say or how to react to his not-so-subtle accusation. I mean, shit happens, you know. Over the years we have somersaulted out of the trains and onto roofs with no problems whatsoever. It wasn't my fault that Ezra slammed into that wall, even though it had been my feet he tripped over. I wanted to trip Uriah, not him.

"Well, at least he was still in the infirmary when I brought him the muffins…" I mumbles while making stabbing motions with my hand. "I mean, with the epi-fri-dinite being close at hand…"

"Epinephrine," Eric corrects me again. His grey eyes are no longer stormy, but now two full-fledged hurricanes of biblical wrath.

I quickly avert my gaze and bow my head in submission while Riley lets out a bark of laughter. Man, I hate it when Eric is angry with me when he should not be.

I mean, Ezra is one of my best friends; I never meant to hurt him. I just forgot that nuts can kill him. It was an honest mistake and has nothing to do with initiation. I am not that evil. I'm just… enthusiastic.

"You want me to handle this?" I hear Riley ask as I study my too long nails. I can still smell the banana and chocolate on my fingers. I should clip my nails before Eric accuses me of endangering the others after I accidently poke someone's eyes out with them.

"No, I got this," Eric sighs. "You get Flame On to the dorm of the transfers while I escort Calamity Jane back to the other Dauntless-born. There's no need to bother Max with this."

I keep my head down to hide my smirk. Eric doesn't wait for me as he marches into the other direction.

I hurry after him and glance over my shoulder to Riley and the blonde. She also looks over her shoulder and flashes me a huge grin while blushing fiercely.

'Thank you', she mouths.

I wink at her and almost begin to skip as I quickly follow Eric.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just for this once I'll post the 3rd AND 4th chapters xD. Just because there are already two reviews and a whole bunch of readers. And because I LOVE this story so much. Thank for liking the girls so much already. The next update will be this Friday (it's now Tuesday). Enjoy and review, my Dauntless Muffins xoxox**

 **Written by Destination56 (her new account on FFN - YAY!)**

* * *

 **Darcy**

I sit down on the bench and Riley kneels down in front of me. His hands slide up my thigh and both of hands grab his, he looks me in the eyes as his fingers curl into my stocking and pull it down. He pulls my shoe off and takes something from his pocket. I watch him lock a hard, plastic thing around my ankle, his eyes come to mine.

"This is not to be taken off or melted." He says, "Do not try. It will send an alert to every leader and you will be in trouble, do you understand?"

I nod. I've never seen someone as rough looking as him. And handsome. He unlocks the handcuffs from my wrists and I watch him stand back up. He nods for me to follow him and I do. He leads me into a room with clothes on shelves and pulls down articles of clothing, holding them to me and then finding ones that are my size. I'm fairly small especially next to him.

"What is in your hair?" He asks, combing his big fingers across the top of my head. Black dust falls, I pinch a golden curl and look at it.

"Charcoal and potassium nitrate." I sniff and look away. "….maybe a little bit of sulfur."

"You have gun powder in your hair?" Riley's eyes widen, he grabs my wrist and begins to drag me somewhere. "You're fucking combustible. I'm not surprised." I push his hand away and he points to something. I look at the showers. There's no curtain. No stall. I look back to Riley and he folds his arms.

"I'll shower later." I say.

"You'll shower now."

I keep staring at his lips. I look back to the showers. "I'm not that flammable."

"I could light a cigarette from over here and set you on fire."

"That would be considered bad manners." I say flatly. I see the corners of his lips twitch.

"Take a shower." He orders me.

"Fine." I hand him the clothes and he walks over and sits down on one of the benches. "You're going to watch?"

"Someone has to keep an eye on you."

I squint momentarily and then turn, dragging my eyes away from his. I glance over my shoulder and he's still watching. I wish he'd look away. I start unbuttoning my blouse. I've never undressed in front of a man before.

"Will you not watch please…" I ask. Riley rolls his eyes.

"You think I have not seen a naked girl before? I have ten plus years on you."

"I meant don't watch because I've never–!" I feel that rash coming on. "Close your eyes at least, or look away." I can feel the heat in my cheeks burning all the way to my ears.

"You blush any harder and you'll ignite yourself." He smiles.

"Oh that reminds me." I reach into the pockets of my skirt and pull out my matches, lighters and–

"Where the fuck did you get those?" Riley stands up and stalks over to me.

"They're mine. But I guess…" I hold my precious fire starters out to him and he takes them and shoves them in his pockets all the while shaking his head. I smile and he narrows his eyes at me and holds his hand out. "That's all of them." That's a fuckin' lie.

He reaches for my pockets but I step away, the tile floor is cold under my feet. "You have more."

"No, I don't." I shake my head and my arms automatically fold up in front of me, my fingers curled at my chin. He raises an eyebrow.

I take another step away from him. He comes forward, wrapping an arm around me tightly. His hand barely fits into my pocket, more matches fall out as he glares at me. I smile. "I didn't feel those in there." I whisper. He switches arms and checks my other pocket. Two more lighters. "I have big pockets." I am innocent. Mostly.

"Is that it?" He asks.

I curl my lips inward and nod. He lets me go and walks back over to the bench. I guess there's no getting around it. I pull the zipper down on my skirt and let it drop to the floor. I shrug my blouse off. As I bend down to pick my skirt up a loud clink echoes against the walls. I look at Riley and then back down to the metal lighter. I snatch it back up and see Riley coming back over with his hand already extended. I shake my head no.

"It's empty, I promise." I hold tight to the lighter, "Please don't take this one, it's my favorite. It has my name on it."

Riley just wiggles his fingers and blinks slowly, his lips pressed together. I look at the lighter in my hand, my name etched into the metal. I set it in his hand hoping he doesn't throw it away. Maybe I can find it later.

"Is there anything left in there?" He nods referring to my bra.

"Only two things." I mumble. I turn away and reach behind me unclasping the hooks of my bra. I should just get used to no privacy right now. I turn the water on and toss my panties to the side as Riley sits back down. A lot more black powder comes off of me than I expected. I take my time in the warm water. Rubbing the soap over my body and then washing my hair, I have to wash it twice.

My hair sticks all the way down my back as I walk over to get a towel. I pat the towel down my legs and dry the plastic tracking device. I wonder how it works. I bet I could get it off if I had small enough…My eyes wander to Riley and he's watching me like he can read my mind.

After I've dried off and gotten dressed I follow Riley into a room with a bunch of beds.

"Initiates arrive in a week. This is where you'll sleep." He says. I look around, both boys and girls will sleep in here?

He starts to walk again and I follow after him. Naturally I have plenty of questions, but I don't ask them. It's not that I think he wouldn't answer me and I don't think he'd berate me for asking. I just can't seem to find my voice when I look at him. He's this big tough grizzly bear looking guy and I just want to touch his beard and ask him if he likes fireworks.

* * *

It's only been about three hours and I am hauling ass through the compound with a very angry Four behind me. The very fashionable ankle bracelet is beeping, I know I'm in trouble. His shirt has holes burnt into it. "I didn't do it!" I scream carrying myself forward as fast as I can go. I get to a door and pull it closed, planting my foot against the wall, I feel him yanking on it. I let go and hear him curse as he probably falls backward.

"Get back here!" Four yells. There's no way I'm stopping. Years of running from people have prepared me for this moment. I burst into the cafeteria and realize it's lunch time as I jump the rail and sprint through, Four comes in behind me yelling all sorts of obscenities as if it'll slow me down. I leap onto a table and run down the length to escape him, kicking people's trays and cups as I go.

Just as I reach the end of the table and jump–I think I'm going to make it to the door–but Mr. Grizzly Bear himself steps in front of me and catches me in mid-air.

"No! I didn't do it!" I snap wildly thrashing against Riley.

"She needs to be locked up!" Four shouts pointing a finger at me. "She's out of control!"

"I am perfectly in control! You just got in the way!" I struggle against Riley and he doesn't seem to be having any trouble at all.

"She was setting off firecrackers with children nearby." Four growls.

"They were a bunch of eight-year-olds. And it was only one." I say, my feet are still not touching the floor.

"You could've hurt someone." Four snaps. I lean an elbow on Riley's shoulder and rest my chin against my hand.

"You're fine and you were only ten feet away from it." I feel a little bored discussing this. Four starts at me again and I squirm in Riley's arms, he holds a hand out to stop Four's advance.

"Four, let us handle this." Eric says from somewhere and I feel a cold chill run up my spine.

"Actually can Four handle this?" I mutter thinking about what Eric is going to do to me. I look down at Riley staring up at me. "What?" I whisper, "I'll take an angry Four over an angry Eric any day."

"Riley, take her to the office and make sure she stays there." Eric says. Riley lifts me up and hangs me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Fuck.


	4. Chapter 4

**LAST posting today - cya on Friday, my Dauntless Muffins. Enoy and Review (because it makes us very VERY happy) ! xoxox**

* * *

 **Melanie**

"Just stab him, already!" Eric snaps viciously and my panic is rapidly expanding and taking over my cool.

"Where, goddammit?!" I yells as I frantically wave my trembling hands about while my eyes are gliding over the exposed chest in front of me.

"He's dying, Melanie! He's choking! Inject him! NOW!" Eric roars in my ear and I hear someone else screaming as well like some goddamn siren – oh, wait, that would be me…

My throat hurts like a motherfucker as my high-pitch scream reverberates off the dark concrete walls of the abandoned infirmary post when I grab the Epi-Pen with both hands and just stab towards the chest – or at least I think that's what I'm doing because my eyes are shut tight.

Suddenly two much larger and stronger hands grab my wrists, and the next moment I shudder when I feel Eric's hot breath brushing against my cheek.

"Congratulations," he whispers quietly in my ear, "your patient just died." He breezes like a bull. "Pathetic…"

A whimper escapes my throat and I'm afraid to open my eyes to look at the dummy on the gurney in front of us.

Suddenly I am jolted forwards when Eric slaps my ass - hard. I yelp and quickly rub my burning ass cheek. Fuck, that stung!

"Again!" he orders me, not even giving me a chance to calm down or to nurse my wounded pride.

We've been at it for about an hour and I am yet to stab that goddamn Epi-Pen into that fucking dummy. I'm tired, and nauseous, and my shirt is clinging to my skin because I'm sweating like a pig, and I just want to cry. This is the worst punishment ever! Right now Eric isn't my favourite leader anymore.

I open my eyes and glare at him. He is leaning against the gurney with his massive arms folded across his massive chest. Everything about him is massive, especially his fucking ego. The man is so full of himself that he probably gives birth to himself whenever he takes a shit.

His smirk is condescending and annoying as hell, but all I can think of is kissing those delicious lips of his. His smirk grows wider, and I just know that he knows what's on my mind.

I suck my teeth and roll my eyes at him. "Asshole," I mutter beneath my breath, hating him just as much as I like him.

"Yeah, hate you too, Buttercups," he chuckles. He raises his pierced eyebrow and nods to the dummy. "Again."

* * *

Eric stands beside me and we're just staring at the remains of the dummy.

"Okay, I think it's time to call it a day," he mumbles. He reaches out his hand and pokes the auto-injector that is sticking out of the dummy's right eye socket. "We'll continue tomorrow or … I don't know…"

I turn my head and look at Eric, only to find that he looks… tired… defeated even. My god, what have I done? I shrug hesitantly. "Well… at least I finally managed to save him."

"Yes, you did, Melanie," he sighs heavily while his eyes lock with mine, "by injecting the medication into his eye after stabbing him in the chest at least fourteen times with a goddamn Epi-Pen. Yeah, he'll be fine in a few days…"

"Maybe we should perform surgery on him?" I joke. I see a tiny spark of anger flashing behind his grey eyes, but it disappears too quickly for it to ignite. Oh, my god, I think I broke Eric…

For a long and extremely uncomfortable moment he just stands there and stares at the dummy. I'm certain that I've landed myself into more trouble, but watching Eric saying and doing nothing is punishment enough.

I rather have him yelling at me while glaring at me with murder in his beautiful eyes. I rather see the veins popping in his neck and in the middle of his forehead while he cusses me out than seeing him like this – all quiet and still.

I raise my hand to carefully tug the hem of his tight shirt in the hope of getting at least a reaction out of him. Eric hates to be touched by us mere mortals.

But before I can touch him, he has his hand already wrapped around my wrist. "Melanie?" he calls me in a deceptively low voice without taking his eyes of the dummy.

I swallow and clear my throat. "Y-yes, Eric?"

"If you ever decide to become a nurse," he says slowly while putting more pressure on my wrist, "I'll kill you myself." Well, shit! Maybe Quiet and Still Eric wasn't so bad after all. "I don't want you anywhere near the infirmary, the day care centre, or even the fucking kitchens from this day forward. Am I making myself clear?"

Immediately I put on my most innocent face – the one that even Max can't withstand. Unfortunately, Max isn't here and Eric doesn't fall for it.

He glares at me and I give him my biggest, brightest smile. "So, you mean, no more muffins for you, then?" He narrows his eyes when he realises his mistake. I yelp when his hand tightens painfully around my wrist. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Jeez!"

Suddenly he pulls me closer and I find myself flushed against his massive chest. His breath ruffles my hair when he hisses in my ear. "Fifty. At six tonight. On my desk – or I will show you where the Epi-Pen should've gone."

Damn… It's a bittersweet victory. I know that not even the Big Bad Wolf can resist my homemade muffins, but fifty? Before six? What am I, a miracle worker? Where are Stiffs when you need them the most?

Just then his phone begins to beep urgently and he lets go of me. I take a deep breath to steady myself while Eric pulls out his phone from his pocket and glares at the tiny screen.

"The little b-," Eric mumbles and suddenly he is out of the infirmary.

Without thinking I quickly follow him. Growing up in Dauntless has taught me at least one thing: whenever a leader bolts out of a room, follow his ass, because he'll lead you where the real action is. People are literally running and jumping out of his way as he crosses the Pit with me just one step behind him. The beeping sound of his phone is getting louder the closer we get to the cafeteria until I can hear it double.

Eric shuts off his phone just before entering the dining hall, but by then I can already hear the commotion loud and clear. I quickly cover my mouth with both of my hands as the blonde girl from before is trying to crawl up Riley's neck like a kitten while Four is yelling at her. I've never seen Number Boy this angry.

"You could've hurt someone," he snaps.

I frown at that and look him over. Well, I'll be damned. His shirt has burnt holes in it – some are even still smoking.

"You're fine, and you were only ten feet away from it," the girl shoots back in an impressive bored voice, and I almost lose it. And by the look on Riley's face, I'm not the only one. He sees me standing behind Eric and it takes just one glance for me to bolt out of the cafeteria when the first explosion of laughter escapes my throat.

A few seconds later Riley appears, with Miss Lucifer draped over his broad shoulder. For a split second I think she's dead, or at least unconscious, but then I see her fingers spider-crawling into his back pockets when he passes me without a word or another glance, back in his Leader-mode. His free hand lands with a loud smack on her ass and she yelps.

"There's a lot more where that came from," he warns her.

"Promise?" she asks him, and I end up screaming with laughter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, my Dauntless Muffins. Thank you so much for the positive reviews and the lovely private messages. It's so freakin' cool to see your appreciation. Now, I promised that I would updat twice a week, but since last night my entire family - including yours truly -is suffering from The Flu. So better safe than sorry, I've decided to post two chapters today and then crawl into my cave for a lenghty recovering period. Keep them reviews coming! xoxox**

 **Written by Destination56**

* * *

 **Darcy**

Riley grips my hips and pulls me forward and I slide down slowly, I think he makes sure of that. When my feet touch the floor I look up at him. "Can I just say in my defense that the kids gave me the stuff. They were the ones with the firecrackers and lighters," I say. He blinks slowly and his fingers slide into my pockets. He pulls out a lighter and some matches and holds them up with a raised eyebrow.

My gaze sets on his beard. "The lies just never stop with you, hm?" he mumbles.

"It's disgusting, I know." I shake my head as I turn away from him and dramatically toss my hands up, I talk with my best lamented tone taking it up a couple octaves. "I disgust myself! I never learn. I should be punished. Just… take a whip and–" I slap my hand on my other palm to make a smacking sound. I look back to Riley. He's not buying it. I drop my sad expression. "Is Eric going to be really mad at me for setting his friend on fire?" I mumble.

"So Four was on fire then?"

"Only for a few seconds." I shrug and look away for a moment but his chuckle makes me look back up. "I threw some dirt on him."

"They're not friends." Riley scratches his beard and leans back against a desk. "Eric's probably mad that he didn't get to do it himself."

The door slams against the wall when its flung open and I look at Max. Eric stands behind him. Max looks at me and I look at my feet. Shit.

"Riley, out." Max says and I watch Riley's boots uncross and walk slowly out of the office. The door closes. "You are not making a good first impression," Max snaps as he walks around the desk and sits down. "I received your court date an hour ago. I will talk to Four and ask him if he wants to fill out a report and it will not go over well with the–"

"I know. I'm sorry," I say. Max looks at me like I'm lying. "I mean it, I am–I really am. Please don't add a report to my file. It won't happen again."

"It won't happen again?" Max tilts his head. "How many times have you said that in your life?"

"I will really try to not let it happen again."

"It better not!" He shouts. "You mess it up here and you don't have any more options! You fuck up at all and your ass is grass! Now get out of my office," he growls and I keep my eyes down.

"Yes, sir."

I back away and go for the door, as I turn the knob, "Darcy" - I look back to Max - "I'm watching you."

I step into the hallway and close the door quietly. Someone clears their throat and I look over my shoulder at Eric and Riley standing across the corridor watching me. I recognize that look they're giving me. I drop my gaze to the floor and walk down the hallway toward the dormitories. I should get this thing under control. I didn't mean to set Four on fire. It was an accident. And I tried to put it out. I never do anything right. I haven't even made it through the first day here and I am already fucking it up!

I push the door to the dormitory open hard and walk in, I'm just a fuck up. I'm walking a thin line and if I step off it Max is going to… He'll… Kick me out? I fold my arms and pace around the room trying to calm down. Scratching at my collarbone and my neck as the hives start to spread with my anxiety of being factionless.

The door opens and I look over to see Four. Shit. He walks in with his gaze on me and I watch him carefully like a small animal watches a predator. He circles around me and I turn with him.

"I suppose we got off on the wrong foot," Four says.

"I didn't mean for that to happen," I mumble. He's not mad anymore.

"I know. I feel I may have overreacted." He nods and looks around with soft eyes. "I thought we could start over."

"Uhm.." I look around and feel extremely uncomfortable. What is he looking for?

"Like it never happened." His smile is charming, I'll give him that, but I have a gut feeling that tells me I shouldn't trust him. He holds his hand out, a peace offering?

"Okay." I nod slowly and extend my hand. He shakes it and when I try to pull back he won't let go. He steps forward and looks down at me with his big, innocent looking brown eyes. I don't like it.

"I'll be in charge of you for initiation. I think it's important that we get along and understand each other." His voice is low and I can hear an underlying tone to it. There's nothing dangerous looking about him, but the air around him is menacing.

The door opens just then and I let out a quiet breath I hadn't noticed I'd been holding in. I look over and see Melanie. She looks between Four and I.

"Good talk, I'm glad we could clear that up," Four says, letting go of my hand. "We'll talk again."

I watch him turn and leave for the door. Melanie stares at him as he passes her and by the look in her eyes I can see she doesn't like him at all. The door shuts and she turns to me.

"Four looks a little…. burnt out." She smirks at me and I let out a small, but weak laugh. I'm still trying to keep myself calm. "I'm Melanie." She holds something out to me and I look down at the muffin in her hand.

"I know–I mean…I'm Darcy." I take the muffin and stare down at it for a moment.

"Something wrong?" she asks, looking at me then to the muffin.

"No…I just.." I shake my head. "It looks really good." I don't remember the last time someone gave me something, trying to be my friend.

"So you've got a lot of people talking," she says as she sits on the bed across from mine. I look at her, I mean really look at her. She's quite beautiful. High cheek bones and skin that could make a chocolate cake feel ashamed. Her hair hangs long over her left shoulder in small, demanding curls with a crimson ombre; the right side of her head is shaved. But out of everything about her she has eyes like molten amber, that could probably silence a man if she's feeling icy. Their almond shape only makes my gaze fall to her full lips. She smiles and I have to sit down. "Is there something on my face?"

"No. Sorry."

She peels her own muffin and I sit down on my bed and pick a piece off and eat it.

"I hope you're not allergic to nuts." Melanie mumbles.


	6. Chapter 6

**The 6th and last chapter I'm posting today. I hope that a few days rest will be enough for me to post next Tuesday again. Enjoy and keep those reviews coming! xoxox**

* * *

 **Melanie**

Silence reigns while we eat our muffins. It isn't really an uncomfortable silence, especially since we don't know each other yet, but something feels off. I look at Darcy as she nibbles away her muffin with dainty little bites, her eyes all over the place without actually seeing anything.

She looks like a porcelain doll with her gorgeous long, wavy blonde hair and her emerald eyes, and about just as strong.  
Small, and pretty as fuck. And I've got a feeling that she doesn't even realise how pretty she actually is.  
But she looks also sad, and lost. Max must've chewed her head off really good before Four did.

It's bad enough to have three of the five Dauntless leaders watching you like a hawk; she doesn't need more trouble that involves Four. I should know – been there, done that.

It's awful.

Not for one second did I buy his crap after I walking in on them. I recognise a threat whenever I hear one, even when it is covered in soft silk and velvet: his 'We'll talk again' was a threat.

I've never liked Number Boy. Many girls are swooning over him, but not once did he manage to fool me with his espresso-drinking, guitar-playing, 'look at me, I'm a poet' moody display. He walks around as if he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and it's too much for him to bear. But I just know it in my gut that the man must be having too many damn skeletons in his closet and all those secrets are weighing him down.

Whenever I hear his voice I want to hurl, and I just hate it whenever he challenges Eric's authority in public. Why is he even challenging Eric when he keeps turning down Max's offer to become a leader? That doesn't even make any sense. Just like the fact that he never disrespects the other leaders. The fucking coward…

No, knowing Four I just know that he is going to make Darcy pay for what she has done. He is going to make her life hell during initiation in every which way possible.

I look around the empty dorm and sigh. If she's going to last till next week, that is.  
What was Max thinking when he decided to let her sleep here alone till next week? She won't last one night if words get out that a pretty blonde is sleeping alone in the dorm.  
Not one security camera will be able to stop the stampede of predators from trying to sneak into the dorm at night. I really need to talk to Riley or Eric about this. The sooner the better.  
Had I not overheard their little conversation earlier, I would've never guessed that they too aren't happy about the fact that Darcy is here all by herself.

I had been walking through the halls looking for Eric to give him some already made muffins, because I've learned to be prepared with him and his teeter-totter moods. Bless his grumpy ass. I had stopped at a corner when I heard Eric talking, "….and she's small, untrained. It's not safe."

"I agree. Though, I mean, she is here for a reason. It's not like she was selling flowers on the street," Riley says. "But yeah, there's way too many weird fuckers in this place."

"You know that Four is going to hone in on her." I can hear the glare in Eric's tone. "Little shithead should've been closer to that pyro, if you ask me."

"If he's smart he'll keep his fuckin' distance," Riley speaks and I think I hear a little bit of intent in his tone. He doesn't like Four either, but usually Eric is the one pretending the dartboard at my parents' bar is Four's face.

I focus back on Darcy and know that I have to say something to them. Help it along. Still, I'll have to be careful if I don't want to end up stepping on someone's toes again. Hell, I may be eighteen, but I'm still regarded as a kid until Choosing Day.

"This is really good," Darcy says quietly after her last bite.

"Yeah, somehow I even managed to surprise myself," I smile. "I only hope that Eric doesn't realise that I only gave him forty-eight."

"You made these for him?" The shock is evident in her voice.

I nod. "Part of my punishment. I had to bake fifty for him before six."

Her eyes grow big as she stares at me in disbelief. "For almost killing that guy?"

"No, for killing the dummy in the infirmary."

The look on her face is priceless and I begin to laugh. "Eric thought that it would be wise for me to know what to do if that would ever happen to Ezra again, so he dragged me to the infirmary and had me practice with an epi-Pen. He made me nervous, I panicked… and ended up stabbing the dummy several times."

She covers her mouth when she begins to giggle and the sound is just too infectious for me to resist. She has the cutest snort-giggle and before long we're both laughing out loud.

"He scares the crap out of me,' she admits after we finally manage to catch our breath.

"Who, Eric?" I smirk while my toes curl again in my boots, as they always do whenever I think or talk about or to Eric. "He's alright. He is genuine, you know? What you see is what you get, just like Riley, and I can only appreciate that. Just don't get into too much trouble, and you'll be fine."

"And…eh…" she stammers, and she begins to blush fiercely while her hand flies to the back of her neck.

I frown, and then I realise the source of her discomfort. "Riley?" By now she is beet-red and my smirk grows into a knowing grin. "He's a sweetheart," I tell her, "he really is. He's the one I always go to whenever I need some sound advice and my family chooses to ignore me. Just don't betray his trust. If you do…" I shrug. "Well, your chance for surviving will be better with Eric than with him then. Don't piss him off. Like never."

She swallows hard, then nods. I'm not sure if that what she wanted to hear, but I tell it like it is when it comes to these guys. "Come, let's go to the cafeteria," I say as I get up and stretch lazily.

She hesitates for a moment. "I'm not sure if I'm allowed to go anywhere with you," she says quietly, nervously fidgeting on her bed.

I snort. "Well, you need food, don't you? One damn muffin won't keep you alive till next week." She just stares at me for a while longer, and I frown when I see her discomfort, but then she nods again and rises as well. "I've made some brownies as well, for after dinner. Do you like brownies?"

"If they taste just as delicious as your muffins, then yes, I do," she grins.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi, Dauntless Muffins. Destination and I are overwhelmed by your reviews and private messages, the followers and favourites, and the ridiculous number of readers! Thank you so much for liking our girls Darcy and Melanie. Keep reviewing (don't be shy - even a simple Hi is enough to make our day) and keep enjoying the story.

PS: I did say that I would post chapters on Tuesdays and Fridays, but I'm changing that into Mondays and Thursdays since that works better for me.

xoxoxox

* * *

 **Darcy**

It's been a couple days since my encounter with Four. I've successfully avoided everyone but Melanie: I have given up trying to escape her. I like her anyways.

I'm sitting in the cafeteria and I look at the other Dauntless eating, I'm not allowed to sit with them. One of Max's rules. But Melanie is sitting with me no matter what anyone says and for that stubbornness of hers, I am grateful. Everyone seems so energetic and friendly. I feel pure boredom. I want to blow something up or at least light a candle. I haven't set a fire in so long my fingers feel cold.

Just then there's a loud boom in the kitchen and we all turn to see smoke coming out from under the door.

"Darcy!" Max shouts from above. "My office now!"

"What?! I didn't!" I drop my burger as I stand up. I look up to the leaders table, "I was here the whole time!" Max points to the door. Melanie starts laughing. I groan. "Fuck."

Everyone is watching me as I walk down the aisle. "You gotta a staring problem?" I snap. I look up to Riley, he knows I didn't do it. I see him rise from the table and walk down the steps to meet me at the door.

"It's just precautionary steps." He says.

"I don't give a shit. I'm hungry." I mumble. "If I was going to blow something up I wouldn't do it on an empty stomach."

He takes me to the office. He sits down in his chair with a look of discomfort that I'm sure no one else would notice because it only shows in the tightness of his lips and small glare.

"What's wrong with you?" I mumble as I pull myself up onto his desk.

"Hm? Nothin', just a muscle in my back." He mumbles and looks at me, his eyes move leisurely up my legs and I feel incredibly self-conscious.

"Which one?" I ask, lowering myself off the desk and walking behind him. He leans forward and I can see how muscular his back is through his shirt. "No wait, let me guess. Is it this one?" I poke his back.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I mumble as I close my fingers and work my knuckles into the muscle.

"Try me."

"The way you're sitting. Indicates a discomfort in your back.." I put it short.

"Hmm."

"I was going to go to Erudite, ya know. But I messed _that_ up." I say, "I know every muscle and bone in the body, every pressure point…" My voice fades. I don't know why I'm telling him this. He's quiet. He probably doesn't believe me or care. That's fine. No one ever does. "One of my older brothers has a similar issue, but what else do you expect for someone who sits around with a stick up his ass all day…" I mutter. Riley laughs and the sound of it sends a shock-wave through me. I have said something funny apparently.

"That feels amazing." He whispers. The door to the office opens and Max looks at me.

"Nuh-uh, no, get your hands off him." Max shakes a finger at me.

"Sorry.." I step away from Riley and he stands up and goes.

"Sit down." Max orders me and I walk over to one of the chairs by the door. Max turns around and looks right at me. "Your court date is set for two days from now. I want you on your best behavior."

"Yes, sir."

"No pranks. No firecrackers. And for the record," He points at Riley's chair. "Off limits." He points to Eric's chair, "Off limits. You don't fraternize with leaders, you'll be an initiate. Faction rules. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Get out." He says and I stand up. I walk out the door. Okay, so I'm not allowed to touch Riley and the only way I'd ever touch Eric is if he was dying and I had to stop him from bleeding out. Fine. I go back to the cafeteria for lunch and sit down with Melanie again. Someone else has joined us. One of her friends.

"Hi, I'm Uriah."

"Darcy." I extend my hand and he slaps it then bumps his fist against my fingers. I'm not familiar with this handshake.

"Don't worry, you'll get it." He smiles. He's adorable.

"Did Max really think you had something to do with that?" Melanie asks.

"I don't think so. I think he was just trying to scare me again. And it worked." I pick at my food and ask my question carefully, "Did Riley hurt his back some how?" Melanie's eyes meet mine with that knowing gleam and I can't help the heat that rises into my face.

"Not that I know of." She smiles. "Why?"

I take a bite of my burger, "He just said that he had a tight muscle…" I mumble, I don't want them to know I'm secretly a total geek.

"I bet he does." Melanie smirks at me. "When it comes to _you_."

I almost choke on my food as the two of them start laughing. I wipe at my mouth and throw a fry at her, "That's not funny."

"Melanie." I feel my entire back tighten as Eric's voice sounds behind me. He's so fucking quiet it's not natural. "First aid."

Her eyes come to me. I turn and see Eric walking away. "Fuck. He's going to make me do that epi-pen shit again. I don't have enough muffins for that man!"

"What's so hard about an epi-pen? You just stick it in the outer thigh." I say with a mouth full of food.

"What?" Melanie snaps. "Eric never told me that. I stabbed that poor dummy in the eye."

"You stabbed Eric in the eye?" Uriah laughs.

"No, dumbass." Melanie shoves his shoulder. "The first aid dummy."

"Well stab it in the leg next." I take a bite, "Or better yet stab _Eric_ in the leg with it and see what he thinks about _that_." I say as she gets up from the table. "And, hey! Tell him you want muffins from _him_!" I shout as she walks to the door, Uriah and I laugh at her obscene gesture back at me. "That poor dummy." I shake my head. "I hope I'm never on the receiving end of Melanie's medical care." I look at Uriah and he nods.

"Me too."

As I look around the cafeteria and nothing is on fire, I feel like I need to be stabbed with an epi-pen.

"You wanna get out of here?" Uriah says and I look up at him. "A few of us were going to go play a game."

"I'm not supposed to." I shake my head glancing up out of nervousness, but Max isn't there. I clear my throat. "Thank you, though."

* * *

I'm walking down a hallway to kill some time when I see a few Dauntless-born girls coming toward me. I keep my eyes down as I pass but I hear one of them say, "She's gonna burn this whole place down."

"Excuse me?" I say, making eye contact with a redhead. She wears a smirk I could easily slap off.

"That's what you do, isn't it?" She steps away from her two friends and I look at the piercings in her eyebrows. "You burn everything."

"No." I say, raising an eyebrow, "I like to blow things up usually."

"Right, you're some kind of pyro freak. I heard Riley and Eric talking about it. What was it Eric said…'she's a timebomb'" She smiles at her friends and I launch my fist right into her mouth, knocking her off her feet.

"Well, I guess he's right then." I look down at her. Her friends look at me and that's about the time I wish Melanie was here.

The blonde one tries to hit me but I grab her shirt and give it a good pull. She trips over my foot and her other friend wraps her arm around my neck. I kick blondie in the face and hear beeping. SHIT. Oh fuck it. I'm not going to let these little snobs take me down. Not without a proper fight.

The brunette is hauled off me suddenly and a loud booming voice makes me freeze, "Enough!" Riley shouts. Oh thank fuck, it's not Eric. "You three," He points to them and they all fumble to get to their feet. "Go see Eric and let him know what you've done–and don't lie about it because he already knows. Ganging up on one person? You should be ashamed? Get out of my sight."

Riley quickly pulls me up and I close my eyes, "I hit first." I say clearly. "I hit the redhead first." I have to get it out before I look him in the eyes. "I started it, Riley." He lets me go and I look at him. "I'm sorry."

"She started it. She obviously said something."

"I shouldn't have hit her even so." I suck in a breath, "Wait, how do you know?"

"I just do." He says.

"Max is going to kill me…" I truly feel like crying but Riley shakes his head.

"He doesn't have to know. If he asks about the alert I'll clear it up."

* * *

Melanie and I enter into the cafeteria for dinner and I look up to the leader table and don't see Max, thank god, but I avert my eyes when I see Eric. He's staring at Melanie strangely. She hasn't noticed. I sit down at the table with her and eat a little bit, but I'm still nervous Max will want to put me through the shredder for getting into a fight.

"I thought I was going to start crying." A jittery giggle escapes my lips because Melanie laughs.

"Let me get this straight. You blow things up and get in fights, but Riley takes one look at you and you turn into a fucking pansy."

"I do not." I snap quietly, "I just–I thought he was going to drag me to the office."

"You like him." Melanie smiles like she's just discovered a buried treasure.

"No, I don't. I mean yeah–I like him, but not like–" Oh god, I'm blushing. I giggle nervously, "That's preposterous, he is–I _barely_ know him… I respect him. That's all."

"Mmhm, Here. Have a brownie, I made these special for you." She smiles and pushes a plate toward me. I pick one up and lick some frosting off my finger. She has exceptional baking skills. My eyes wander to Riley up at the leader's table. He's talking with Eric about something. This frosting is good.

"I think he likes you." Melanie says as she picks at the corner of her own brownie.

"Who?"

"Who do you think?" She bumps my arm with hers and nods up to the leaders. I laugh.

"Yeah, right." I shake my head and take a bite of the chocolatey goodness. "That's… He's way out of my league. I'd have better luck setting Four on fire again and getting a date from him than… than you know.."

* * *

Twenty minutes later I don't know what's happened but the fucking table is so smooth. I need to lay my face on it and touch it. "Mel, this table is so…soft." I whisper. "Touch it, Mel, touch it. This is the table, I'm telling you."

"Whats wrong with her?" I hear Eric ask. I look up and smile at him.

"Hi, Eric want a brownie?" I grab the plate and somehow I stand up on my seat because I feel like I need to be level with him.

"No." he says flatly.

"You have exceptional bone structure, has anyone ever told you that?" I'm leaning forward slightly. I lift the plate up in front of him. "They're really good. The brownies, not your bones. Your bones are good too. This place is amazing." I smile as I take another brownie and hand the plate to Melanie as I step up on the table. "You're all doing fantastic," I smile down at Eric, Riley and Melanie. "You all deserve letters, I'm going to write you letters." Riley's beard. I gasp. "Riley, your beard is so _beautiful_. Can I touch it? Do you like fireworks?" By this time I'm standing on the edge of the table and he's for some reason got his hands out like I'm going to fall. But I feel light as a feather.

"Melanie, did _you_ make these brownies?" Eric asks.

"Where's Four?" I chirp, turning around looking for him. "He needs a brownie. Everyone needs one."

"Darcy," I turn back to Riley, "Come on, let's get you down from there."

"Why?"

"Because they're trying to clear the trays and bins." He beckons me with his hands and I go to him like some fucking pet.

"She's high isn't she?" Eric asks.

"As a kite." Melanie confirms.

"I've never flown a kite." I say more to Riley than anyone else. "Do you want a brownie, Riley?" I smile as he pulls me to his chest and lets me slide down his body again. I enjoy that.

"I'm not in the mood for a brownie right now." he shakes his head with a look in his eyes I can't pinpoint.

"Why not? Chocolate is good for any mood." I could fall over looking into those eyes, "Even if you're angry. Which reminds me. I want to smear this on Four's stupid face."

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Riley says as he gently takes the brownie from my hand and gives it to Melanie.

"But it would make me feel better." We're still staring at each other. It's like everything else is just a blur.

"How about we go for a walk?" He asks.

"Okay." I feel Melanie set a brownie in my hands behind my back before Riley leads me away. We walk into the hallway and I take a bite of the brownie. I've taken three bites before he notices.

"The fuck?" Riley grumbles and reaches for it.

"No way, grumpy bear, get your own." I giggle turning from him and holding it away. I'm giggling out of control as I keep stepping away from him, he wraps one arm around me. He gets suddenly still and peeks around the corner then back at me. He pulls me roughly and I drop the brownie, "Oh man." I frown down at it as he drags me into a utility closet.

"What the fuck is there a brownie on my floor for?!" I hear Max shout in the hallway and I can't contain the hysterical laughter, but Riley covers my mouth with his hand.

"Shh."

Riley listens to Max yelling about the brownie until some poor soul comes to clean it up. I am not listening though. I am more focused on his hand covering my mouth. It's rough and large. Warm. I'm stupidly touching his jaw, the soft yet coarse hair on it. He didn't say I could do this. I'm not sure what comes over me but I feel like I'm gonna scream. When his hand slides off my lips that's not what happens. In the split second that I even think about it I do it. The poor man doesn't even see it coming. I tackle him, kissing him roughly as we fall, I come down on top of him. His arm has knocked something off a shelf, I don't know I'm too busy with fistfuls of his hair and sucking on his tongue. I bite his lip and he groans underneath me. I slowly pull away from him and my senses come back to me. Shit.  
"I'm sorry." I gasp covering my mouth.

"I–I'm not." He breathes heavily. I stand up off of him and hurry to the door. What have I done? I bolt out into the hallway ignoring Riley calling my name. I'm so stupid.

* * *

In my panic I've wandered into the garages' storage room and I'm flipping through supplies like nobody's business. Tears are filling my eyes just thinking about what Max will do when he finds out that I got high and then kissed Riley

I didn't mean to. I grab a magnet and a copper wire. The ankle tracker starts to beep and I know Riley has just activated it trying to find me. I can barely see through my tears as I take the magnet and press it to the device then secure it with the copper wire. The beeping stops and the little light turns off.

"Fucking idiot." I hiss as I beat the heels of my hands against my head, "So stupid, stupid, _stupid_!" I clench my jaw and start to cry. I never want a brownie again. How embarrassing. Why did I do that? I'm just a fucking idiot. A blonde airhead. The pain in my chest hurts as I realize Riley would _never_ like someone like me.

I never do anything right.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi, Muffin Army! Here's the next chapter of our little tale. Enjoy and please leave a comment xoxoxox**

* * *

 **Melanie**

I couldn't have wiped the smug grin of my face if my life had depended on it. "So, I guess that you own me muffins now, right?" I gloat while pointing at the Epi-Pen still lodged into the thigh of the dummy.

Eric gives me one of his deadpan glares. "Don't push your luck, Mel."

I pout and lower my head to look at him through my long eyelashes. "Well, I did well so I demand a reward for saving the dummy this time."

He clenches his jaw, but I can tell that he is fighting hard not to smile at me. "Stop it," he warns me when my lips curl upwards in a sly smile.

His eyes dart between my eyes and lips, then lingers a bit too long on my partly opened mouth before he lets out a sigh and shakes his head. "Okay, fine," he concedes. "What did you have in mind?"

I skip over the first twenty-plus things on my wish list, which all include him and me engaged into several 'recreational activities' in various positions, and come up with the favour I've been dying to ask him. "I don't like the fact that Darcy is sleeping alone in the dorm."

"Eh, you've been sneaking in and out of there since her first night so technically she isn't sleeping alone," Eric points out smartly. I'm not even going to act surprised – Of course he would know that.

"So, my question is: may I take her to the gym as well? You know, to make sure that she won't get into trouble while doing something productive?"

"Productive?" he snorts derisively. "Like what?"

I throw my hands up in the air and shrug. "I don't know. I'll let her punch the bags or have her running around – anything to keep her from exploding. She's bored out of her skull, Eric. If something happens, it will be on you guys – not me or her. Whenever I look at her, I hear a ticking sound."

His eyes flicker briefly towards my lips again as he chuckles before refocussing on my eyes and growing serious again. I can actually see him thinking, pros versus cons. The man wasn't born yesterday; he knows I'm right.

He folds his arms across his chest and this time I'm the one staring too long as I feast my eyes upon the chest curls peaking above the collar of his tight shirt.

"Alright," he finally says and I am forced to look him in the eye again – not that I mind. "Two hours a day till initiation starts." I squeal, but he isn't finished. "No stunts, no dares, no tumbling, no martial arts shit, and especially no knives! I'm serious, Melanie. If either one of you end up in the infirmary, I'll let Max deal with you after I beat the shit out of you."

I squeal again, and before I realise what I'm doing, I'm tiptoeing to give him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

His eyes soften somewhat as he smirks down at me. "Yeah, whatever. Just don't make me regret this, okay?"

My lips are still tingling from the light stubble on his cheek when my smile grows wider. "I won't. Promise. Man, I'm going to make some brownies to celebrate!" With that I leave the infirmary, but I still catch his "Oh, shit" and my happy smile turns into a wicked grin.

* * *

"No amount of muffins will save you now, Cupcake," Eric growls in my ear as we watch Riley escorting Darcy out of the cafeteria.

Shit…

"Well, by the sounds of it, I think you could use one right now," I tell him bravely. "Or two."

His eyebrows almost reach his hairline before he gives me a smile that creeps me out. I know that smile. I know what it means. It means 'RUN!' but my legs are not listening to the commands my brains are desperately trying to give them.

"Take the brownies and follow me, please," he says deceptively quiet in a pleasant voice, and I begin to whimper while crunching my face.

I am so dead! Tonight they will be celebrating my life with loud music and lots of booze. It's going to be one hell of a party, and I won't be there because I'll be dead. I can feel the heavy weight of the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria on me as I slowly follow Eric out of the place and the whimpering sound I am making is growing in volume.

"How many did she have?" he asks me as we cross the Pit.

I frown, not understanding where he is taking me because Max's office is in the other direction. "I don't know. Maybe four, or five."

That creepy pleasant smile makes a reappearance on his handsome face and I step away from him to create some distance between us. But he grabs my upper-arm and pulls me against him, and his body heat and aftershave envelops me, swallowing me whole.

Panic and bliss are battling inside of me. I really didn't mean to cause any trouble. People know my special brownies, and everybody loves them. Hell, even Max has munched away dozens of them – and Eric. I just forgot that Darcy is the new kid on the block and probably most likely a virgin for that matter. I shouldn't have brought the full plate, but just given her one… maybe two.

Eric stops in front of a door and I began to swear when I see it's my front door. "Oh, please, don't tell my parents," I beg him. "They're going to kill me!"

He just smirks devilishly and begins to taps his foot, clearly waiting for me to open the door. My hands are trembling when I pull out the key and unlock the door. I swear I can hear it creak like in some old horror movie. I'm already waiting for mist to come rolling out of my home while wolves are howling in the background.

Fuck… No one is home, but I don't feel relieved because now I'm home alone with Eric. My wish has finally come true… and it turns out to be a nightmare of epic proportions.

"Gunner is going to be so mad with you if you kill me," I sniffle.

Eric flashes me a genuine warm smile this time as he places the plate on the dining table. "Nah, your brother would be helping me if he found out what you did. Faction before blood, remember?" He sits down in one of the chairs at the table and cocks his head to the side. "You have two options: eat all of the brownies and I will let this one slide. Or, I get to spank you."

"What?!" I can't believe what I'm hearing. Spank me? He begins to laugh and for a long agonising moment I don't know whether to laugh with him, to scream at him, or just throw the plate in his face. Unless… "You wouldn't," I say while folding my arms and raising an eyebrow at him.

"I wouldn't what?" he asks calmly, his eyes bright and sparkling with mischief.

"Spank me."

He smirks. "Okay, then spanking it is."

I quickly take a few steps back when I realise the huge mistake I just made. "No, no, no! I didn't say that! No, wait!"

It takes him two steps to reach me, and before I know what is happening, I find myself draped over his knees with my ass up in the air. Eric raises one knee and doesn't even give me the chance to draw breath before his big hand lands with a loud smack on my ass.

I scream while my butt cheeks clench involuntarily as pain erupts and spreads out all over my ass. I twist and wriggle, but he shows me no mercy and his hand lands on my ass again and again and again.

Never before in my life have I been so humiliated. I feel my anger rising and multiplying with each smack. "Eric, let me go!" I shout as my hands try to cover my behind. "Now!"

He pauses and then I hear him laugh. "You still think that you can order me around, don't you?" He says, smacking me after each and every single word.

I begin to sob. "I hate you."

"Smart girl."

"Fuck you."

"And we're back at being stupid again," he chuckles darkly. "You want another round?"

I grit my teeth and clench my jaw tightly to stop a river of obscenities from escaping my throat while frantically shaking my head. I tense and cringe when his hand lands on my stinging ass cheeks again, but to my horror he begins to pat me. I don't know who disgusts me the most: him for caressing my ass – or me for bloody enjoying the act after such humiliation.

"I hate you," I whisper as tears roll down my cheeks.

"No, you don't," he whispers back.

* * *

"These are really good, Mel," Eric grins while waving his half-eaten brownie in front of my eyes.

I giggle and shoves his hand away. "I heard you after the sixth time." He pops the last piece in his mouth while grabbing another brownie with his other hand. I think it's his fifth. There are no more brownies left, but that doesn't matter – not while we're drifting on a fluffy cloud. "Okay, the seventh time is coming right up."

"I don't care," he shrugs. "They are worth my praise."

I giggle again and press myself closer against him on the couch. "You know I'm still angry with you, right?" The pain in my ass is now a dull throbbing. It feels as if my ass is now twice as big and I won't forgive him any time soon. I don't care if we're snuggling: I am still mad, or at least I think I am…

He hums as he wraps his arm around my shoulders and puts his chin on my head. "You had it coming for a long time, Melanie. Choosing Day is around the corner and you're still acting like a goddamn first grader. Think before you do something stupid. That's all I ask of you."

I press my face against his chest and inhale deeply. "You smell so good. What is that? Cherry? Strawberry?"

He snorts. "It's called Melanie's brownies." He thrust his hand into my face. "You should smell my hand. Pure chocolate." I can't help myself and end up in a fit of giggles that leaves me breathless and dizzy. Colourful spots appear in my vision and my head begins to pound. "High as a kite, Cupcake?"

I tilt my head and press my lips against his jaw. "Stoned immaculate…"

I haven't felt so good in a long, long time. Eric places his hand beneath my chin and tilts my head while lowering his. Our lips brush against each other as our breaths mingle, and it feel as if I'm about to explode when a tingling heat starts to spread throughout my body.

But then his phone begins to beep. I groan long and loudly. Un-fucking-believable!

"For fuck sake," he sighs as he releases me and grabs his vest that is draped on the arm on the other side of the couch. "This better involves a death or I swear…" he mutters while feeling each of the countless pockets until he finds that damn device.

I swallow hard and press a hand against my chest to try to calm myself down. "I'll help you hide the body," I mutter.

"Yes?" I watch him as he listens to whomever is calling him, then frown when I see him frown." I'm on my way," he says as he suddenly stands up.

"What's wrong?" I ask him as he puts on his vest.

"Darcy is missing."

* * *

I am quickly crashing down from cloud nine and I all I want to do is to throttle that little blonde girl. But more over I'm worried sick about her. I follow Eric down the hallways as he talks on the phone with Riley. Just then Riley comes around the corner looking… like he's been attacked by something. What is wrong with his hair?

"What happened?" Eric demands.

"She ran away." Riley says, and I narrow my eyes at him.

"Why?" I ask. His eyes come to mine, but he doesn't answer me. Jerk. I hate it when he chooses to ignore me by pulling rank on me. Now was not the time to hold back vital information.

He turns his attention back to Eric. "I activated the tracker and then it stopped," he says with a deep sigh.

"Okay." Eric smiles for a second and then shakes his head before a serious look takes its place. "We'll split up and look for her. Max does not need to know about this. He's got enough shit on his hands." Eric suddenly erupts into a fit of laughter and the look on Riley's face makes me laugh as well.

"You two are a couple of crazies." Riley shakes his head while we wave our hands about and roar with laughter.

After almost an hour of searching high and low, and in Eric's case pretty damn high, we all meet back in the hallway leading to the Pit and the dorm.

"Where could she have gone?" I ask, now actually and truly sick with worry. Riley looks pale and edgy as he shrugs. Then his eyes pass me and I turn to follow his gaze.

There she is, strolling down the hall without a single care in the world.

"Where did you go?" I ask as I run to her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she smiles and I don't believe her. "I'm sorry to worry you guys." Her tone is too nice. It's so soft and distant.

"What did you do to the device?" Eric snaps.

Darcy looks down at her ankle and lifts her foot, pulling her pant leg up. I see a wire and… what is that? A magnet? We watch her untangle the wire and remove it from the device. Eric and Riley's phones begin to beep simultaneously and the light on the tracker blinks.

"Momentary signal dislocation," she mumbles as she places the wire and magnet in Eric's hand. "I know… I'm an idiot." She steps around the three of us and walks towards the dorm.

What the hell?


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm SO sorry for not posting on Monday, my Dauntless Muffins, but the flu hit me with a cannon ball and I slept throughout the day. It's so strange waking up thinking it is Monday, only to hear that it is already Tuesday morning O_o. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy and review to make poor little me very happy! xox**

* * *

 **DARCY**

"You shouldn't have done that." I pick a pillow up and toss it at Melanie's face.

"I'm sorry." She follows me as I step onto the next bed and throw that pillow at her too. "I always make them like that–I hadn't considered you would've never tried one before."

I look down at her as I step onto the next bed and pick up the pillow. "I embarrassed myself, I hope you're proud. I made a right fool of myself in front of Riley." She catches this pillow. "And now he probably thinks I'm total flake." My voice is too wispy for the emotional chaos I'm trying to convey. I'm all…. woo-ey… I sigh and turn to Melanie. "You're pretty and right now I just wanna…. wanna… eat something…"

She smiles up at me and starts laughing. "So you're not mad?"

"I… obviously can't conjure up that emotion right now, thanks to you." I blink slowly, "So I guess you're safe."

I turn and step onto my bed and flop down to bury myself under my blanket. I hear the door open.

"Give us a minute, Mel." Riley says. I pull my blanket tighter around my shoulders and glare at the wall. I'm so stupid. God. Just hearing him talk reminds me of how stupid I am. I hear Melanie leave and I become acutely aware of Riley's proximity when he sighs. He's standing at the edge of the bed.

"Darcy, turn and face me."

"No thank you." I mumble.

"Wasn't a suggestion."

I sit up and look at him, "What do you want?" I smile, why am I smiling? "To tell me I'm a gigantic fool? I don't need you to tell me anything. I said I was sorry. It won't happen again." The pain spreads down my arms and into my hands. I hate looking at him. "I hate looking at you." Fuck. I cover my mouth and look up at him. I'm still high. "I'm sorry. I mean.. I don't hate…" I sigh heavily and fall back to my pillow. "Just go away!" I hug my pillow dramatically and hear him laughing. "Stop laughing at me you handsome, bearded man."

His laugh deepens and I bury my face into my pillow. I get to my feet and press my pillow to his face. "Stop. Laughing." I say as soberly and calmly as I can.

"I think you need some fresh air," he mumbles into my pillow and wraps his arm around my waist. My pillow falls from my hands as he pulls me over his shoulder. And it's like I'm under some kind of Melanie brownie spell. I become docile at the scent of his…cologne? I hand limply and stare my hair hanging down. It sways back and forth as he walks. I don't particularly care where we're going. Swish, swish goes my hair. Hmm...

* * *

As I come back down to reality I realize I'm staring at Riley's face. I look around and can see over the city out into a darkened horizon. We are on a rooftop. "Why are we up here?" I ask quietly as I am munching on salty chips. Shit. These are good.

"To get you some fresh air," Riley says as he pulls a cigarette out and places it between his lips. I recognize my lighter as he strikes it and lights his cigarette. Smoke billows out from his lips in a tantalizing curl and I look away, back to the decrepit shadows of the city.

"You refilled it," I mumble.

"Yep."

"Can I see it?" I ask, glancing back at him. His eyes slide to mine and I don't try to put on a mask of innocence. He holds it out and I wipe my hands on my pants. His rough fingers place the lighter in my hand. I run my thumb over my name and turn it over a couple times, feeling the cold metal. Lift it to my ear and shake it gently to listen to the fluid inside. I hand it back to Riley.

"Why is this thing so important to you?" He whispers.

I shrug. "I'll tell you some other time." I look up at him. "Just don't lose it."

"That's it, you're not going to beg for it back?" He asks. I take a good look at him. A long look, "What?"

I've never been high. I've never felt this way. So I've never felt compelled to be honest and forthright with anyone before, "You have kind eyes and they are heavy on mine," I whisper, they make my feet be still. But not my heart. His beard is thick but not long. I can see glints of dark red in the auburn of it, like flecks of rubies when he turns his head toward me and the roof light shines on his face; casting half of it in a shadow as he exhales smoke through his nose. The hair on his head is darker. The hardened look on his face is only softened by his eyes. "They are like the sky, but only on certain days when the sun is coming up and it is burning off the overcast." And in every aspect his gaze is like that too; hot and cold at the same time. I blink slowly realizing I'm actually fucking saying some of this. "No, I will not be begging for it back. I trust you to take care of it." I decide I shouldn't be so close to him and slide myself off of the metal utility box. look up at him again.

"That was very poetic for a pyromaniac." I watch the glow at the end of the cigarette between his lips.

"Well, I'm still high so…" I scratch at my eyebrow then smooth it with my fingertips.

"You should write some poetry." He says, I press my lips into a line and shake my head, "No?"

"I was told once, you should never invest your time in something that can be burned so easily." My mind wanders back to my lighter in his pocket. "There's nothing I want to write about, anyways. It's a waste of time. And who's to say we even have enough of that. My god, I'm getting all… deep." I drag a hand down my face.

Riley smiles, "You'll be fine."

"Of course I'll be fine." I mumble. I look back up at him and he's staring at me like he's expecting some deep secret to pour from my lips and for some reason I just start talking. I don't know what it is about him, I just want to tell him everything. "I'm a hard worker, you know. Just because I'm…" I look down at the tracking device on my ankle. "a troubled youth." I say carefully, "Doesn't mean I won't go the extra mile. My father always said work hard, play hard. So I did. I worked hard. But no one remembers a perfectly graded student when you set the courtyard on fire. I still work hard, but no one likes the way I play." I shake my head as I've started pacing back and forth in front of him.

"So why do you lie?" Riley asks.

"Why does anyone lie?" I turn in a full circle, looking out at the darkness then back to Riley, "When I lie it's only because it's more beneficial than the truth." I shrug, "Now I admit, I have developed a habit of it and my lies feel like truths. But if I keep saying the same thing every day like 'see you later' and then you don't ever see me again… you won't hold it against me for not showing up. For never showing up. You won't think badly of me for leaving and I won't think badly of anyone that leaves me." I've just rambled into territory that I don't want Riley in, "Anyway, blend lies and truths and who's to know?"

"Who's to know? Everyone you lie to."

"I'm working on it, alright?" I run a hand through my hair and look at him. His lips part slightly as he stares at me.

"Did I–Is there something on my face?" I ask.

"No, you're fine." He looks back down to whatever it is he's fiddling with in his hands, "Your father sounds like a nice man."

I nod and have to look away again, "What about your father?"

"What about him?"

"Nice man?" I ask.

"He believed in tough love." He says. "But he thought tough love meant kick your kid around."

"Oh. I'm sorry." I fold my arms and think about my mother yelling at me to do the right thing all the time. "Were you an only child?"

"You could say that." He laughs lightly. I look over at him, but when he looks at me I look away.

"You have children?" I ask as I scoot a pebble around on the ground with my shoe.

"Probably." By his tone it's not something of interest to him so I don't push it.

I keep my eyes down and nibble at my bottom lip, "I don't want children." I mumble, "I know we're supposed to have them and all that, but… I've got four brothers and a sister and I'm just…" I clear my throat, glancing up through my lashes and see his gaze is still settled on me. I smile tiredly. "I should go." I point a thumb over my shoulder.

"Might I walk you back?"

"No." I shake my head, "It's alright." I clear my throat and just want to die right now.

"Let me rephrase that. I'll walk you back." he says as he slides off the metal box and smothers his cigarette against the side of it. I walk to the door and pull it open and wait for him. I keep my eyes on his boots as he approaches me.

I walk in front of him as we go down the stairwell. I cling to the railing tightly.

"Are you sleeping well?" Riley asks.

"Yeah. I sleep fine." Not really. I toss and turn all night.

"Just so you know, you didn't hurt me."

"What?" I look back at him and at the same time I turn back around and smack into something hard. Metal. A door. I fall back against Riley, "For fuckssakes…" I growl into my hands as Riley's hands hold onto my sides. He's warm. I look at Melanie. Perfect timing.

"Alright." I chirp, "Looks like my ride is here, thanks Riley." I smile with a red grin up at him and give a small salute with my bloody hand. I grab Melanie's hand and drag her down the next flight of stairs.

"What's…" I look at Melanie as we walk and there's something different about her. "What's that smell.. you smell like.. Eric." I grumble still feeling my embarrassment lingering in my nerves. I gasp suddenly and pull her to a sudden stop. "Youuuuuu…" I point a finger at her and then point it behind us.

She drags me into the dormitory and slams the door shut. I'm giggling and she looks pissed which makes my giggling worse.

"So how long have you and Eric been a thing?" I ask while trying to stop my giggle fit.

"We're not–well we haven't been... I mean..." She sighs. "I've never done _that_ before."

"Well don't look at me. I've spent most of my time in detention and being yelled at for the past few years. Boys don't pay attention to me." I smile weakly and a new wave of shame washes over me. My shoulders fall and I look down at my feet. I'm so fucking awkward it hurts.

"What's wrong?" Melanie leans forward slightly, placing her hands on my arms. I shake my head.

"Nothing." I sigh. "I'm happy for you. Eric is terrifying and perfect for you," I mumble. "I need to wash my face and hands. She follows me into the bathroom.

"What happened between you and Riley?" She asks.

"Uhm. Uh not much. I… accidentally knocked him over in a utility closet while he was trying to hide me from Max. That's all," I say quietly as I wash my hands and then cup water and bring it to my mouth.

"You knocked Riley over?" Melanie says in disbelief. "I'm not buying it." She shakes her head, "Eric couldn't knock Riley over if he was pissed off and stabbed with adrenaline."

"I guess I took him by surprise." I shrug as I pull my shirt up over my head and wipe my mouth with it and then toss it in my designated clothes hamper. Melanie is quiet and I don't want to look at her, we walk back into the dorm.

"Oh. My. God," She gasps. "You did kiss him!"

I close my eyes and feel my udder humiliation returning full blast. "I didn't mean to," I say quietly. "He thinks I'm a total idiot. I can just see it in his eyes. I'm just.. going to not fucking," I drag a hand down my face, "look at him, like, ever again."

"What are you talking about? Riley likes you." She says.

"Melanie, no he doesn't." I roll my eyes. I'm growing tired and frustrated by this conversation. "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

"Not so fast, blondie." Melanie shakes her head and steps up onto my bed. I look up at her.

"What?" I tug at my blanket weakly.

"What–why do you think that?" Melanie asks.

"Think what?" I groan.

"Think that Riley doesn't like you." Melanie folds her arms and raises an eyebrow. I should've known better than to think she would just let me say goodnight.

"Because." I say, "I'm probably just, like, this little girl to him." There's so much more I could say, but she'd think I was being dramatic so I keep my mouth shut.

"You do not look like a little girl." She says. But I feel like a child. Whenever someone talks to me it's like they're either scolding me or trying to instruct to fix my mistakes. Which is also similar to scolding.

"I want to go to bed. I want to forget about today." I whisper. "Please."

She hops off my bed and lets me climb under my blanket.


	10. Chapter 10

**It's Thursday so here is the next chapter for you. Enjoy and see you on Monday :)**

* * *

 **Melanie**

"I'm never going to make brownies again," I sigh as I stare at the pork chops that are sizzling in the pan, feeling awfully guilty. After leaving Darcy with Riley, Eric took me to his place after one look at my sad face.

He snorts and hands me the bottle of beer we're sharing. "I've heard that one from you before, Mel," he says quietly. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer against him, and for the millionth time I wonder if I've used too much of my special ingredient in the dough because Eric has never ever been this touchy-feely before.  
Unlike popular beliefs, he can be one hell of a relaxed dude – as I have witnessed many a time during private parties and get-togethers at home or at my parents' bar – but touchy-feely Eric is new to me.  
Not that I'm complaining, but it's a bit overwhelming, this unexpected and highly uncharacteristic side of him.

"I know, but this time I'm serious, Eric. You're right, I should stop acting like a kid." I look down at the beer cap I'm playing with before bringing the bottle to my mouth for a healthy swig.

He picks the turner of the counter and flips the chops one by one. "Not making brownies won't change the way you sometimes act."

"It would be a fucking start," I say quietly while admiring the way the well-defined muscles of his forearms flexed and relaxed underneath his maze-like tattoos. It feels nice, being held by him. I feel safe. And wanted.

"I can't argue with that," he chuckles, "but you are not responsible for her actions – she is."

"Yes, I am, Eric!" I snap while turning in his embrace to look at him. "I should've told her that they were special. If something bad had happened to her, it would've been my fault. What if she had fallen into the Chasm? Or… or off the paths above the Pit? Or had a bad trip?"

He studies me calmly for a long time and I'm starting to drown in his darkened eyes. His pupils are blown wide open and there is hardly any grey left. He is still high as a motherfucking kite. Most definitively too much magical butter. "But she didn't, so there's no reason to worry about What-If-scenarios of an event that has already taken place without any casualties," he counters in a soft voice.

"Then why did you punish me?" I point out while stabbing his hard chest with my index finger. "Better yet, why did you punish me like you would a six-year old? If I'm responsible for her behaviour in the cafeteria, then I'm also responsible for what happened between her and Riley!"

He frowns at that. "What happened between her and Riley?"

I shrug then sigh. "I don't know. She wouldn't tell me, only that she made a complete ass of herself."

Eric begins to laugh. Even his freakin' teeth are perfect. "She probably tried to kiss him or something equally dramatic."

I gasp. Why haven't I though of that? "Why would you think that?"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice their little moment in the cafeteria," he grins down at me.

"Of course I did," I frown, vividly remembering their staring session. It had been close to eye-fucking. "I just didn't think you did too."

"Why wouldn't I?" he blurts out. Somehow he even manages to sound slightly hurt. I just grin at him and take another swig of beer. "Well? Answer me."

My grin is practically splitting my face in two. "Turn the pork chops, they're overcooking on that side."

He glares at me, but I think I've become suddenly immune or something because he doesn't scare me anymore. Without breaking eye-contact he turns the chops as I told him to, then turn the burner lower.

Suddenly he leans down a bit, grabs the back of my thighs and lifts me off of my feet. I let out a surprised gasp, but he puts me down on the nearest counter and comes to stand between my legs. His eyes follow his hands as they slide from my knees to my waist, setting my soul on fire, before they dart towards my mouth and eyes.

"Answer me," he demands playfully, clearly not even believing himself.

"Or what?" I smirk. He flashes me a sly smile. "You're not going to spank me again."

"I'm not?" he grins as his arms snake around my waist.

I shake my head slowly as I stare at his mouth. "Nah, you're going to kiss me."

Mesmerised I watch him inch closer and closer until I have to close my eyes. Then I feel his lips against mine and I just melt when our tongues meet. I clasp the back of his head with both hands and wrap my legs around him. No matter what happens, I'm not letting go of him. I don't care if his stove catches fire or Max walks in… or… His hands slide underneath my tank top and cup my breasts and, fuck, I can't think any more when he squeezes them.

* * *

"Please tell me you have cookies or chips," I groan as I pull up my black jeans while trying my best to ignore the dull throbbing pain in my lower parts. This day hasn't been a good one for the lower half of my body – but it is the best day of my entire life!

"I can reheat the pork chops if you want," Eric says while stretching lazily. My eyes wander over his bare chest and chiselled abs, and I bite my bottom lip with a sigh. Everything about this man is sheer perfection. I lower my eyes and almost groan out loud. And massive, especially massive. I need painkillers because my belly is really trying to kill me.

"My eyes are up here, Cupcake," he chuckles.

"I'm not interested in your eyes any more," I joke while tilting my head to make a show out of my unashamed staring.

He laughs. "Don't stare at my dick while having the munchies, Mel. I'm serious."

I look up at him and grin. "Making you nervous, boss?"

"Not after those sounds you made for the past two hours," he smirks as he pulls a pair of sweatpants out of his drawer.

I decide to keep my mouth shut while I can still walk with what little dignity I have left. "What time is it? I should probably head home."

"Why? You haven't been to school since last week," he says, "so it's not as if you have to wake up early. Plus you haven't slept at home since Explosiva arrived here."

"Still, it's late and I'm trying to find a decent way to leave here without looking like a complete fool."

He pulls me to him, and I love how he smells like me. "Then you shouldn't have made those sounds earlier," he tries to say with a straight face, and then he burst into laughter.

I can't help but laugh with him even though my cheeks are burning. His laugh is too damn infectious. "I really hate you, you know that?"

"Yeah, I heard that loud and clear for the past two hours!"

Oh. My. God. Just kill me now. I swear, I'm never ever making brownies again. I place my hands on his chest and begin to play with the soft curls there. "But seriously, I should be going before it gets awkward."

His hands begin drawing lazy circles on my back when his eyes soften. "I was only joking, Mel."

I avert my gaze and look at my fingers. "I know, but… you know. I'm sober now, and you too, and…"

He presses his forehead against mine and sigh through his nose. "Okay."

He briefly captures my mouth with his in a toe-curling kiss before releasing me. "See you tomorrow, then."

I swing my arms around his neck and tiptoe to kiss him again. He smiles against my lips. "Okay," I breathe. "I'll have my secretary call your secretary for a lunch meeting, okay?" Fuck, why is this so hard?!

He chuckles while kissing me back. "Make that a breakfast meeting," he whispers, and I feel something stirring against my lower belly. I break off the kiss and distance myself from him by taking a step back.

I can't look at him now. If I do, I'll be powerless and not be able to escape him any more.

I can't spend the night with him, I just can't. I refuse to walk the Walk of Shame in the morning. Tonight is bad enough as it is. I keep my eyes on the waxed hardwood floor as I follow him to the front door.

"Melanie," he says quietly when I'm standing outside in the hallway.

I look at him through my eyelashes. He is frowning while studying me closely. Then suddenly he reaches out his hand and cups my cheek. My heart is hammering in my chest as I lean into his touch. I have no idea what he is doing, but whatever it is, it makes me feel weightless like I'm soaring above the clouds towards the sun.

No, I don't want him to be this gentle. He doesn't have to be gentle with me. I like him just the way he is: rough and dominant and manhandling me as if I'm weighing less than a bunch of feathers.

But goddammit, this is nice. Very nice. Too nice.

I don't think that my toes will ever straighten themselves again.

He opens his mouth, then closes it again before shaking his head. "Stay out of trouble."

Too late for that, I think to myself as I smile and nod. "Goodnight, Eric."

I walk through the hallway with my hand pressed against my chest and hear him close his door when I open the door to the staircase, and suddenly it collides with someone – someone with long wavy blonde hair.

She yelps, then curses loudly, and I look with big eyes from her to Riley, whose standing behind her, and back. Interesting…


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy Monday, people! Today it is Darcy's turn (written by Destination56) . This chapter is very important in many ways: the chapters will become lengthier; we'll start to see more drama appearing on the horizon AND the guys will have their own POVs here and there. So, enjoy and see you on Thursday!**

* * *

 **DARCY**

It always seems like I'm eating when I get interrupted. I see Riley walking towards our table. Melanie is clueless until Riley sits down next to her and bumps her arm when she goes to take a bite. The spoon misses her mouth and she shoots him a friendly look and sticks her tongue out. Maybe he likes Melanie. I wouldn't be surprised. It seems like everyone likes her. She's so beautiful it's hard not to take a personal hit on my self-esteem every time I look at her. Riley's eyes land on me, "Darcy."

"Hi." I say quietly. I can't even manage a smile I feel so foolish, but I can't look away from him. We're staring at each other. I can only feel my own judgments though as his brow relaxes. Is he pitying the poor little thing that I am? How pathetic I am. A small burst of pain spreads through my arms and makes my hands tingle. Oh how I hate myself more every time I think about how I kissed him. I feel my face grimace as I look down. Anywhere but his eyes.

"Darcy, there is someone in the office here to see you." Riley says, "I told her I'd come get you."

"Okay." I stand up slowly, glancing at Melanie for a second before I follow Riley out and down the hall.

As we are walking I'm staring at his back. Is it just me or am I fucking tiny next to him? Maybe he just makes me feel small. When we stop at the door to the office I take a deep breath and he unlocks the door. We enter and I try to keep my eyes on the floor for as long as possible.

Riley sits down at his desk and I finally look up to see my sister. She's older than me by seven years. She's twenty-five. We look very much alike though. Except her hair is pitch black and straight, it comes to her elbows and is trimmed straight across. She got our father's hair. I got our mother's. She stands in her regular high heels, her pencil dress that I don't even know how she fucking walks up stairs in it it's so tight.

"Darcy." She greets me coldly and I nod.

"Danielle." I say back just as coldly.

"You look…" Her eyes drag down my body and then back up, "Ragged. As always."

"Thank you." I smile just to spite her. "I see you still have that stick up your ass."

She blinks tiredly at me, she's used to my 'comical to me' retorts, she tilts her head, "What's that cut on your lip? You got in a fight already?"

"I'll have you know I walked into a door." I say confidently. "Gracefully. Elegantly. I was spot on with my collision." I hold my hand up, my index finger and thumb together, "Very precise."

Danielle rolls her eyes at my dull dramatics. "Sure you did. Look, mom asked me to come and talk to you about your trial tomorrow."

"Oh, don't tell me she can't make it." I mumble as I touch my fingertip to the corner of Riley's desk. I don't dare look at him as I hold a hand to my chest. "I'll be heartbroken if I don't hear her crying."

"You are…" Danielle starts and I see her fists tighten but then she composes herself again, "She wants me to represent you."

"That's not going to do any good." I shake my head. "Besides, I'm sure you don't want my trial on your belt for success."

"Darcy," Danielle shakes her head, "When are you going to grow up?"

"Never. According to you."

"You're setting a bad example for Bry–"

"Bry is seventeen, any example he's taking is not from me." I snap, trying to control my anger.

"Well, you're not setting the bar very high and Kevin now has the impression it's okay to chase the neighbor's cat with your–your little… freaky pyrotechnic tools–which have all been thrown away, thank heavens."

"What?"

"Yeah, mom went through your room and threw away everything, your clothes, your books," She's counting her fingers, "She's taken all your pictures down. She cries every night." She sounds almost frantic.

"What do you want me to do about that? I'm stuck here." I say as my fingers touch the knife stuck in Riley's desk, my fingers wrap around it. "Don't you remember? Mom is the one that had me arrested! She sent me here!" I scream suddenly, tearing the knife out of Riley's desk. "So don't fucking tell me she's having some sort of melt down when it's her own fault!"

"You really should be locked up!" She shouts.

"You would like that wouldn't you, princess!" I stab the knife back into his desk and it goes straight through, the tip pokes out the bottom. "You're just as cold and bitter as that stupid bitch!"

Danielle slaps me so hard it makes my ear ring and I stumble sideways. I look back to her and she looks shocked. She's not a violent person, just with her words. The heat rises where she has struck me and I know that it has already turned red. This is why I don't tell the truth. People are too sensitive.

"I'm… I'm sorry." Her fingertips touch her lips, I nod and smile weakly. I look over and Riley is up out of his chair, Danielle looks at him with pure fear in her eyes. She steps around me and leaves. The door slams shut and I touch my cheek gingerly.

"Who knew she could hit that hard, aye, Riley?" I laugh faintly and glance at him. He is staring down at his desk with something like rage on his face. "Don't worry, her bark is worse than her bite."

"I don't…" Riley stops himself and shakes his head. "I'm going to have a hard time with you in initiation."

"Because I'll make the others cry?" I smile. He looks at me sharply but then he laughs lightly and looks back down like he's forgotten what he was going to say. He steps around the desk and I take a step back from him instinctively, but stop. He touches my cheek and I'm trying so hard not to blush. His thumb brushes over the tender spot until it touches my ear and I see his frown. His lips part to say something but they close again. "I gotta go meet Melanie in the training room. She's intent on making me a hard ass." I roll my eyes and he smiles. He leans down and picks something up from behind his desk.

"She left this for you, by the way." He says. I take the bag and look inside it as he leans back against his desk. It's clothes for tomorrow.

"See you later." I mumble and turn to leave.

* * *

In the morning I don't go to breakfast. I stay in the dormitory and get ready for the trial.

I stand in the bathroom staring at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing the little black, strapless pencil dress with my hair pulled up. I look strange to myself. Looking at Melanie everyday I have began to feel a little blank. I turn and look at my bare arms and shoulders. Perhaps I shall get a tattoo once I return. …if I return. The door opens and I see Riley in the mirror. He's doing that staring thing. Not just looking at me. But blatantly staring. I clear my throat and look down at my hands on the sink.

"How are you feeling?" Riley asks as he enters. I can't look him in the eyes.

"My palms are sweaty and I feel like I might vomit. But hey, at least I look good, right?" I laugh nervously.

"Yeah." Riley comes to stand behind me and I look up at his reflection, "You look great."

"I can't look innocent in there, Riley. I can't lie." I stare back down at the drain wondering if I am going to puke. "They're going to show footage. They'll make me take that truth serum." I shake my head. What would my father think? I suddenly feel so ashamed of myself.

"Just don't fight the serum." He whispers touching the back of my arm. I move away from him. I don't understand why he's doing that. He steps around in front of me and sees that I am slowly slipping into a panic attack. "Breathe slowly, Darcy, we'll go there, have a little chat with the judge then we'll come back. Maybe Melanie will make you some brownies."

I laugh abruptly, "I am never touching her brownies again." My face heats up when I think of what I did to him.

* * *

My eyes lock with my mother's across the room and my sister sitting next to her looking completely bored. Hank, my stepfather, is sitting next to my mother with a smirk on his face.

"I don't want to do this." I whisper. Riley's hand slides onto mine and almost wraps around it completely. He is warm and comforting just with this gesture. No one has held my hand in a long time.

"You'll be fine." He says quietly. He's keeping his eyes on the people around us. They call my name and I stand up. I make my way up onto the platform. The man with the syringe approaches me and I refrain from stepping away from him. The needle bites my neck and my eyes go to Riley in my small panic. He's solid, sitting there, patiently. I feel the liquid compelling ambition to tell the truth spreading through me.

A screen lights up and I take a deep breath. Riley said not to fight it. I should listen to Riley. I should just tell the truth.

I stand in front of all these people for what seems like ten hours. Every question I'm asked I answer, except for a select few that I hesitate and the serum burns my nervous system until I answer. One such question has me burning right now. I gasp for air and look at Riley. He is tense and looks like he's about to bound out of his seat.

"Answer the question Miss Baragan. What is your sole purpose of being destructive to the things around you?"

"Somebody has to do it." I say truthfully. It doesn't make any sense to anyone else but me.

"Your honor, if I can just say, her behavior has been outrageous. From the time she was nine years old." Hank speaks up and I want to wrap my hands around his throat and shake him until his head falls off. "I think it may stem from her father's–"

"Don't you fucking talk about him you belligerent fuck!" I scream turning to him. I move toward him but something stops me and holds me tight. "You never knew him! You're just a fucking stand in for what you'll never be!"

"Silence her!" The judge yells and a large hand clasps over my shouting mouth. "Remove her from my courtroom this instant."

I fight against the pair of strong arms holding me as I'm hauled out. I'm still determined to kill Hank. I'm dragged into an unoccupied office and let go. I turn around and beat my fists against his chest. "How dare you remove me from my own trial!" I scream. Riley is unaffected by my obvious anger. I turn from him and grab the lamp off the desk and fling it at the wall with professional coordination. It shatters and only fuels the desperation trying to surface.

"What happened to your father?" Riley asks.

"None of your fucking business that's what." I snap, the serum stings my nerves and I'm so angry I'm breathless and I scratch at my neck. I look at Riley and I feel bad for saying that. It's a new sensation. I've never snapped at anyone and regretted it. "I don't know, alright?" I growl quietly. The serum subsides. Riley's eyes narrow with his realization that he's just asked me something I didn't want to tell him. But now I want to tell him. "He and I…" I try to stop but for some reason I can feel the burning in my arms. "He was my best friend, Riley. He understood me. He was the best man I've ever known. And one day he just.. he didn't come home."

"He left?" Riley mumbles.

"He left. How does someone disappear in a single city?" I ask, "How?" I feel my tears, hot and flooding my eyes as I slam against him and curl my fingers into his shirt and I push on his chest. He holds his ground. "How?! He fucking left! Didn't even say goodbye! Didn't give me a reason–he left me behind with those fucking ingrates! And now I'm stuck in a place I don't want to be with people I don't want to care about!" I can feel that rash spreading on my neck. Fuck.

"Why don't you want to care about us?"

"Since when has caring ever kept anyone around?" I ask. "What does it fucking matter? Your father was there for you, even if he did beat the shit out of you."

I close my eyes. I can't believe I've just said that. "I'm sorry, Riley. That was such a fuckhead thing to say." I mutter and look down at my grip on his shirt. I let go of him.

"You're angry. Perfectly understandable. Just don't throw a lamp at me." He shrugs.

I look at the glass on the floor, "Damn it," I mumble as I hurry over to clean it up. My hands are shaking as I gather the broken pieces. "I'm so stupid…" I mutter, "I should've just…kept my mouth shut." I can feel hot tears coming to my eyes as I clench my jaw. I suck the tears back before they can break. His hand wraps around my upper arm gently and he pulls me up. "Oh, Riley…" I shake my head. "I've really tossed myself in the shitter this time. Everyone thinks I'm some neurotic pyromaniac."

"Mm.. I don't know about that." He whispers. His thumb wipes a tear off my cheek and I laugh nervously.

"Yeah." I force a smile. "Okay. So.. now what? Can we leave?" I step away from him and fold my arms.

"Not yet. We'll wait until someone comes and tells us they're finished." He winces slightly and rolls his shoulders back.

"Is it hurting again?" I ask, he nods and shrugs. "Here, sit." I drag a chair over.

He pulls his black sweater over his head and his shirt is caught so for a few seconds I see his body. There are tattoos across his chest, I only see them for a second then my eyes slide down to the corded muscles of his abdomen. Jesus fuck. I can't exhale. He glances at me and I hope I look impassive as he pulls his t-shirt down. He takes a seat on the chair and rests his arms on the back of it as I massage the muscle and hear a low groan come from his lips.

The door to the office opens about five minutes later and Max comes in, "What did I tell you, don't touch my leaders." He snaps at me, I step away from Riley and Max holds up a file. "You're ours now. Officially." He rolls his eyes and whispers, "Painfully." He shoots a suspicious look at Riley, "Don't make me regret it." He raises his eyebrows, "And you two? No. Big fat no." He waves a finger between us. "Don't. Bad." He hands the file to Riley, "You are… I can't believe I'm saying this, in charge of this little… fire starter. She needs to take an anger management class every week. You make sure she doesn't slack off around the compound. She'll go along with initiation and she better fucking pass because I just put my ass on the line for her."

Max turns from us and leaves. The door shuts and I feel… Happy. Relieved even. Riley and I smile at each other as we leave but I hear Danielle's voice and it curdles any good feelings I just had.

"Darcy." She says.

"What?"

"I will expect my clothes back." She blinks slowly at me.

"You'll get them back." I smile.

"Well, I just never know with you." She folds her arms and I see her look at Riley, "You're a hairy one aren't you? That can't be sanitary."

"Don't worry, Riley, Danielle spews insults because she's socially incompetent…" I say calmly. Danielle's eyes sharpen on me and I turn away from her without worry because I know Riley has my back.

* * *

 **RILEY**

I look down at her as we are walking to the car awaiting us. She is pensive. She is delicate and small. But she's not as weak as she looks. I learned that in the closet. Her body hit mine so hard I didn't have time to keep us up. I've never had a woman do that before. Take me down like that. And what is her obsession with my beard? Yet another first for me. Usually I'm being told to shave it.

What makes her so different than every other woman I've come across? She's shy and obviously broken somewhere. It's that broken piece inside her that keeps her jumping back and apologizing profusely. Keeps her doubting herself. Unless she has some matches in her hand.

"Hey, wait a second, okay?" I hear her tell the driver.

I slide in next to her and she leans across my lap and rolls the window down. She reaches down and takes the high heels off and chucks them out the window. "Riley, might I borrow your…sweater?" She asks sweetly.

"Uh. Sure." I hand it to her and she sets it on the seat. I watch her reach under the skirt and pull one stocking from high on her thigh, down and off. And out the window it goes. So does the other.

She turns her back to me, "Will you unzip this for me?" I pinch the little zipper and pull it down. "Thank you, Riley." She keeps glancing up at the building.

She peels the tight dress off her body and throws it out. My eyes wander down her bare waist. "There she is. Hey Danielle! There's your clothes back!" She snaps and leans out the window while straddling my lap; she holds both middle fingers up with a big smile, but I'm staring at her breasts in the strapless, lace push-up bra. She lets her hair down as she comes back inside and rolls the window up. "You can go now." She says to the driver, she looks at me and smiles then climbs off me. I'm trying to think of things that will save me from the tightening of my pants.

She slips my sweater on and rolls the sleeves up, the collar hangs over one of her shoulders and the hem comes down just enough to cover her. I want her on my lap again.

When we get back to Dauntless I look out the window and I'm not sure what I'm seeing. I roll the window down a little and look at Eric in the alleyway with Melanie. Jesus fuckin' hell, Eric.

* * *

"I don't know. Maybe I just wanna bang her." I grumble. I know that's not just it.

"That's very gentlemanly of you." Eric mumbles as he writes something down at his desk. "You know she's just turned eighteen, yeah?"

"I am very aware." I say sharply, I wonder if he realizes Melanie is the same age. And he's one to talk about gentlemanly ways.

"Just making sure." Eric looks down at his paperwork, "Max will not be pleased."

"I don't give a shit what Max will be pleased with. I want to be pleased." I flip a page and skim over a paragraph.

"You please yourself with like... thirty other women around this place. You just need to add Darcy to your harem?"

"No." I growl. I don't like him talking about her like that. Or at all.

"I don't know why you like her. She's crazy."

"She's not crazy." I say. "Melanie is crazy."

"Melanie _is_ crazy." Eric smirks down at his papers and I roll my eyes. "But she doesn't blow shit up," he adds.

"I'd let Darcy blow me up." I mutter as I look at the knife stick through my desk. I think I'll leave it there.

"I'm pretty sure you've fathered the most children in Dauntless, I don't see her letting you do that to her." Eric laughs and I wanna smash his pretty boy face into his desk. But he's probably right. "Not to mention you could be her father." Eric glances up at me.

"Watch it, little boy." I point a finger at him.

"I read in her file something about her dad–"

"Don't go there, Eric. If she wants me to know something I'd rather she told me herself. And stay out of her file."

"Whatever you say, man." Eric shakes his head and drops a file in a basket. "I'm just saying, she probably has daddy issues."

Shit. I stand up so suddenly that my chair tips over and Eric looks up at me. I storm out of the office, slamming the door behind me. Where is she? I can't fucking track her anymore. That doesn't sound creepy at all. She doesn't have a phone. I should get her one. Fuck. I'm not her father. She'll get her own phone.

I step into the Arena and see her standing with some Dauntless-born. "Darcy!" I bark angrily and everyone turns to look at me. "Come with me, now!" I turn and walk back out. I stand near the window and a second later she comes out and looks at me. She looks terrified.

"Did I do something to make you mad, Riley?" She asks innocently. "I'm sorry if I have."

Her big eyes make my knees weak. Fuck. I realize I'm glaring down at her. I guess Eric got me a little worked up. I take a deep breath and look at a couple Dauntless passing us. "No. You haven't done anything." I clear my throat, "I need to talk to you in private."

"Okay."

I point to a hallway and follow her. Her top is three inches short of her pants waistband and I can see the dimples at the small of her back. I can picture my thumbs covering them. The image of her bent over in front of me flashes in my head and my lower abdominal muscles tighten painfully.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asks over her shoulder and I rip my eyes from her swaying hips. I don't answer her right away. I place my hand on her lower back, feeling her skin and that heavy air between us settles as she looks up at me. I guide her into a stairwell where we can talk by ourselves.

She fiddles with the zipper on her vest and I realize she's not wearing anything under it. She's wearing the vest alone.

"Are you alright?" She asks. I have to put my hands in my pockets so I don't grab her.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You seemed mad when you called me out." She says tilting her head slightly.

"I was mad. Not at you." I turn away and look down the opening of the stairwell, biding my time before I need to look back at her.

"Oh." Is all she offers me.

"You like me, yeah?" I ask.

"Everybody likes you." She shrugs, her eyes leave mine and she looks to the floor.

"That's not what I was asking."

She clears her throat and straightens her shoulders, "No, sir. To be romantically attracted to you would be inappropriate." She recites it. "Max made that very clear."

"Fuck Max." I snap quietly. "Are you interested in me because I remind you of your father?"

"What?" Her shoulders drop. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because I'm much older than you."

"You.. You're saying that I have daddy issues?" Her bottom lip trembles.

"What? No." I shake my head and lean down touching her face. Her hands push against me.

"I would expect this from Eric, but I didn't think you'd have the balls to say it." She snaps. "You look nothing like my father. He was as tall as your shoulder," She pokes her finger at my shoulder and walks around me, glaring up at me. "He was always clean shaven and he was smarter than any of you stupid soldier fucks." Oh she's pissed.

"Hey." I snap as I grab the belt loop on her pants and spin her to face me. Her angry, emerald eyes look up at me. "I never said you have daddy issues." I growl, "And you better watch your pretty little mouth."

"Or what? You'll fuck it?" She smiles sarcastically up at me.

"Would if I could, love." I quip and she doesn't miss a beat.

"Well I guess it's a good thing I don't have a gag reflex." She rolls her eyes and I swear she's burning a fuse inside me.

"Oh?" I lean toward her, looking into her eyes as the air around us develops an electric current, "Why is that?"

"Simple." She shrugs and turns away from me but I pull her back again, "I have no uvula. I had an accident when I was three." She blinks lazily. "The nerves in the back of my throat were damaged." She opens her mouth and sure enough. There's nothing there.

"How'd that happen?" My eyes flick from her mouth to her eyes and then back. Both of us letting the anger between us dissipate.

"Well.. when you have two older brothers that like to play with bb guns and they're mean fuckers, things happen."

"You were shot?"

"It's not the most painful thing that's ever happened to me." She says dispassionately. "Anyway, have a nice day, sir." She pulls my finger from her belt loop.

I watch her leave and I have forgotten my rank. I don't feel like a leader. She's like a marble wall with a large chunk missing, a result to some kind of catastrophic collision from a long time ago, she has cracks spearing out from the main crater and I find myself in awe of her. I think I need to talk to Melanie.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, my army of Dauntless Muffins! Thank you all so very much for still loving this story and for showering it with so much love with your reviews and PMs. Wasn't that last chapter kickass? People have asked me where Eric's POV is at, but sorry, You'll have to wait another week for him to speak. First things first ;-)**

 **Melanie is having a little inner-turmoil of her own, though by far not as great and heavy as poor Darcy, but her Dauntless upbringing sometimes gets in the way of her emotional side and she is feeling a bit torn from the inside... quite literally too... ;-)**

 **Rated M for naughty stuff! Enjoy and please review to tell us what your thoughts and feelings are. See you on Monday! xoxo**

* * *

 **MELANIE**

For a long time, I watch Darcy closely as she goes through the series of punches and kicks I've taught her. She is promising, to say the least. Stronger than I had thought, and fast as well.

Her best traits are her creativity and sharp mind. She tries out various combos, master them quite quickly, then tries something else. Every now and then she would get frustrated and let out a high-pitched shriek that makes me chuckle, but other than that she is determined and quite a beast.

Fuck, I'm already proud of her and initiation hasn't even started yet. She is already a warrior, and she truly belongs here in Dauntless.

Still, the moment I begin my own routine of warming up and my punching bag begin to swing back and forth after two punches and a high kick, she gives me that sidelong look that cuts through me like a knife.

She thinks I don't notice the looks she sometimes gives me, but I do – all the time – and they hurt me.

Not because I think she is jealous of me or anything, but because I can see all of her pain during those moments, shining brightly and unforgiven in her beautiful green eyes.

And all I want to do is grab her and smother her with a bear hug and tell her that she does matter and that she is beautiful and I want to cry and yell at her and… goddammit, she's turning me into a goddamn Amity pansy! I just want her to be happy. She deserves to be happy because she rocks.

Why can't she see that?

"Mel, you're okay?" she asks me suddenly, and I blink a few times and realise that I'm hugging my punching bag. I winch when the throbbing hot pain in my lower abdomen gets worse, reminding me of Eric. Fuck, I don't want to think about him now. Stupid, wonderful, sexy beast-man of an asshole. Fuck...

I let go of the leather bag and flash her a faltering smile that falls flat on its face. "Yeah, I'm fine," I tell her quickly. "My head is all over the place."

"You want to stop?" Her big green eyes study my face closely and I can tell that she is already beginning to think that she has done something wrong.

"I want..." I stop, sigh, then laugh. "I want to take you shopping and give you a Dauntless makeover. And I want you to meet my folks and stupid brothers and I want to get a new tattoo and to party and..." I throw my hands around and start dancing like a fool. She begins to giggle and that annoying snort-giggle of hers is so freakin' infectious and I can't stop my own giggles from erupting out of my mouth. We look at each other and all is well again. "Let's go grab something to eat. We'll continue afterwards. Or not."

* * *

I grab the bottle of painkillers and shake two pills into the palm of my hand before popping hem into my mouth and washing them away with some water.

My belly is really trying to kill me, but the spotting has at least stopped. I didn't want to worry Darcy, but I'm relieved that Riley came to get her because the pain is getting worse by the minute. I'm starting to worry. Maybe Eric tore something apart and I should go to the infirmary. The girls never bragged about the pain. All they ever told me was how awesome and great their first time had been.

"Mel, is that you?" I hear my mom calling from the hallway. I quickly close the medicine cabinet and open the bathroom door.

"Hi, mom," I smile bravely while my heart is pounding in my throat.

She looks me up and down like only she can, and I feel pretty self-conscious while her eyes are trailing over my body. "I'm surprise you even recognise, girl," she snorts.

I roll my eyes at her and chuckle. "Come on, it's not like you missed me while you were working."

She shrugs. "Of course I missed you! I hardly saw you this week! Even your friends are complaining. What's going on?"

"You know I've been hanging out with Darcy, mom."

She hums. "Well, at least the twins are still alive so I guess you've been having enough time to watch over them."

I bite my bottom lip and clear my throat. My 14-year old twin brothers hadn't been on my mind since they hit puberty one year ago: It was the best way to survive them. I'm sure someone is feeding them on time.

Suddenly she crosses her heavily tattooed arms underneath her impressive chest and narrows her eyes. "What's wrong, Mel?" she asks me.

My eyes grow wider, and my cheeks are about to combust. Oh, fuck, here we go! "Nothing," I say in a high-pitched voice.

She glares at me and cold sweat prickles in my arm pits. It's the same stare she gives her regulars when they're too rowdy or drunk and looking for a fight. The stare that says 'I'm about to rip your spine through your throat and jump-rope with it'.

My abs tighten and I wince when another sharp pain stabs me in the womb.

Immediately the look on her face morphs into that of a worried mother lion that has to protect her cub when she grabs me by the arms and examine my face closely. "You're in pain? What happened, baby girl? Goddammit, Mel, did you get into a fight again?"

I make a face at her and try to free myself out of her vice-like grip.

"No, I haven't fought since last month at school," I tell her. "I'm having cramps, like every woman gets every now and then. Nothing serious."

She doesn't believe me because that horrible glare is back with a vengeance and I instinctively take a step backwards.

How can such a beautiful woman like her turns into Medusa's evil twin sister in the blink of an eye?

"You never had cramps before," she points out, and then she smirks knowingly. "Unless someone popped your cherry…"

I close my eyes and pray for a hole to open up beneath my feet and swallow me whole because this kind of shame is the worst kind.

I hear my mother clearing her throat and I squeeze my eyes shut until colours are exploding like fireworks behind my eyelids.

"Who was it?" Oh, sweet baby Jesus in flannel! "It better not be that Uriah kid," she says. "He's cute as a button, but I like his brother Zeke more." This is not freakin' happening! This. Is. NOT. Happening! "Was it Jace? He's _fine_! I would totally do him if I were his age. Fuck that, I would still do him if I could get your dad to leave me alone for an hour or two in the bar." She begins to laugh.

That's it. I'm done. I can't… I…

I turn around and just walk away from this mad woman who isn't my mother. I don't know who this cackling hag is. I don't even want to know.

Unfortunately, she follows me into my bedroom and leans against the door post while I go through my closet and drawers.

"You know I'm just kidding, right, Mel?"

"I hope so," I mumble. I sit down on my bed and sigh. A part of me wants to tell her, but I'm afraid she will explode and kill the both of us.

She has known Eric since his initiation because it was then that he had met Gunner. After initiation ended, Gunner began taking him home with him and introduced us all to Eric. I had been twelve then…

My parents have practically adopted Eric and even after becoming the youngest leader in the history of our faction, he still finds the time to visit mom and dad at least once a month, and Inferno has been his favourite hangout since initiation.

He is a family friend and we all love him. Only my love for him has changed over the years…

Mom sits down beside me and brushes my hair over my shoulder. "Did he hurt you?" I nod. "I know that it can hurts during your first time, but he didn't force you, right?"

I shake my head and steal a glance at her. People say that I look like her, but I refuse to believe that. Mom is way prettier than I'll ever be. At least I have her eyes and luscious lips. She pulls me against her and I breathe in her scent, and I am finally able to relax against her. I wrap my arms around her and lay my head on her shoulder. "Do you love him?"

I shrug. "Yeah, I think I do. He's a cocky asshole with an attitude, and I love him for it."

She snorts. "Him, and the entire Dauntless male population." She kisses my head. "But yeah, that sounds like love. You don't have to tell me who it is till you're ready for it, sweetheart." That would be after our wedding, mom… "So, when am I going to meet your new friend, that Pyro-chick?"

I lean back and sigh. "Maybe Saturday, before the party," I say. 'Didn't want to bring her to Inferno and give Max a stroke."

"Bring her to our family dinner," mom suggests. "I would like to meet her."

I kiss her on the cheek and smile. "I will ask her, okay? She's a bit shy, but I think she will like it."

"So, you're off again?" she asks while pointing at the pile of clothes on my lap. "I'm taking Darcy out shopping for Saturday and also thought about giving her some of my clothes."

"Okay, cool." She rises and takes a moment to look around. A sad smile suddenly graces her face and I frown upon seeing it. She looks at me and the smile grows bigger – and sadder. "Sunday."

I try to swallow the lump in my throat. "Yeah, Sunday."

She takes a deep breath. "Come visit us at the bar during initiation, okay?" I nod. "Promise?" My bottom lip begins to quiver but still I nod again. She points at me and raises her eyebrow. "No tears!" she warns me in a tight voice, just when a single tear rolls down her cheek.

I'm done for… I jump up and we collide against each other in a tight embrace, laughing and sobbing like two pathetic pansies in each other's arms. But I don't care. She's my mom, and I'm going to miss her.

* * *

I wander around through the endless tunnels and corridors, avoiding everyone I recognise until I suddenly find myself outside. My head is pounding and I can barely lift my feet.

It's a beautiful day, but I can't find any joy in the sun and clear blue sky above. Darcy has left with Riley early this morning to go to her trial, and I'm left alone with my thoughts and worries.

Yesterday realisation hit me like a wrecking ball in the face and I'm stuck in an emotional whirlpool of epic proportions.

This Sunday I will be an adult and my initiation will begin.

I don't doubt my chances, but Gunner has already told me not to trust the odds. Often enough the transfers turn out to be mentally stronger than the Dauntless-born because they fight harder while we get cocky and sloppy.

I won't make that mistake; there is no chance in hell that I'll become factionless and leave all that I know behind without a fight. I would rather die. Victory or Death, as one of my tattoos say.

And then there's Darcy.

Anger flares up once again when I think of yesterday afternoon when she had showed up with a swollen red cheek – courtesy of her sister.

Today she is going to hear whether she can stay with us or not. I can't even begin to think about the possibility of her leaving after less than a week. It feels like as if she's been here her entire life.

"Got lost?" a deep voice suddenly comes from my right side. I scream and already my fist is travelling at lightning speed into its direction.

A large hand catches my fist and it only then that I recognise Eric.

"Jesus fucking _fuck_ , Eric!" I shout angrily. "What the ballsack, man!"

I lean against the wall and bend forwards to catch my breath while my heart is galloping all over the place.

He smirks. "Lost in thought, or a guilty conscience?"

"Plotting a fucking murder! Yours, yes!"

He chuckles while pinning me between the wall and his body, forcing me to straighten myself.  
"Kinky," he laughs as he nuzzles my neck. I shudder when his lips touch my skin beneath my ear while his hands sneak under my skirt to cup my ass. "Where were you going?"

"Nowhere," I breathe, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, and so freakin' happy to see him again. Finally! I haven't seen him since the Brownies Incident. "You?"

"Following you," he murmurs in between open-mouthed kisses in my neck.

"Why?" I somehow manage to ask while trying not to forget how to breathe in and out.

"You didn't notice me." I gasp again when he bites me softly in my shoulder and I feel wetness pooling in my panties. "Can't have that, Mel. I don't like being ignored." He licks and bites and kisses my neck from ear to shoulder, and back. One of his hand cups my sex and begins to stroke me through the lace. "Especially by you."

"I-I… wasn't…no…" My eyelids flutter before they close completely as I become lost between his skilled mouth and fingers.

He tangles his fingers around the straps of my panties, rips them apart, and then slowly pushes two fingers inside me.

I moan out loud and he quickly captures my lips with his to swallow the strings of sounds I'm making as he moves his fingers slowly in and out of me. I don't where I begin or end while he mercilessly hurls me towards blissfulness.

I dig my nails into his neck and buck uncontrollably against his hand when the tension in my belly becomes almost unbearable and begins to expand in delicious waves that course through my body.

"Come for me, Cupcake," he whispers urgently against my lips.

"Fuck me, then," I miraculously manage to utter when I feel my release approaching rapidly.

His hand disappears immediately and tiny spasms make my inner muscles clench and clench erratically. I hang on to him for dear life while he quickly unbuttons his pants and I suck his tongue into my mouth. The next moment he lifts me and presses me against the wall with my knees resting in the crook of his arms.

I cry out when he enters me and buries himself impossibly deep inside of me. It hurts like hell again, but the sharp pain only enhances the pleasure that follows after two hard thrusts.

I whimper against his neck and surrender myself completely to him when he sets a fast and hard pace that leaves us breathless and desperate for more.

Eric's whispers and grunts in my ear send shivers up and down my spine, praising me, claiming me, until I shatter in a million pieces when I come undone.  
He moans loudly while I clench around him and drag him down with me.  
He kisses me hard, hungrily, when he suddenly stills and groans, and I feel him swelling and twitching inside me before a warm gush fills me while I'm still riding my own relentless wave.

"Best fucking lunch I had in ages," he pants against my lips as we come down slowly from our heights. I laugh breathlessly, then wince when he pulls out. "You think you can stand, Cupcake?"

"I can't feel my fucking legs!" I scowl.

He begins to laugh softly and kisses me again. "Have you taken any painkillers today?" I nod while wiggling my toes. "Take two more later on, okay?" I nod again. "Hang on." He moves his arms and the next moment I'm standing on my own two feet with wobbly knees, captured in a tight embrace. "And don't ignore me again, you hear?"

I bury my face against his slightly damp shirt and grin. As if…

A car rides into the alley where we're standing and I try to see who is in it as it passes us. I see long wavy blonde hair and Riley, who is staring with big eyes at us before flashing me a knowing smirk.

Just then I realise that my skirt is still around my waist like a belt and I try to pull it down to cover myself, but of course it's too late.

 _Oops_!


	13. Chapter 13

**Happy Monday, muffins! A special wave to _interdictum in aeternum_ and everyone who has taken their time to write me or left a review. Thank you so much, and keep them coming: I will answer them all unless you're a guest :D**

 **Here's another chapter written by the amazing eric-imagine/destination56, in which Riley and Darcy have family dinner, _and_ go to a party in the Pit: and that is all I'm going to tell you. Rated M due to naughty stuff xD**

 **Enjoy and see you on Thursday!**

 **xox**

* * *

 **Riley**

I flip through the file on my desk and sigh, check my watch and then shake my head. I texted Eric and told him I'd be there ten minutes ago. I glance at the single lamp on my desk casting a dim light across my scarred hands. I sign a few papers and set them in a basket. I hope Melody doesn't hold it against me. I don't think she will. Her and Marcus have been my good friends for years.

I leave the office already tired and I'm starving. Didn't have lunch. I get to the stairwell and make my way up to the family apartments. When I reach the Wilson's family apartment I knock on the door and wait. Marcus answers and gives me his best friendly smile, "Was beginning to think you'd forgotten where we live."

"I'm sorry, Marcus, I got caught up with some paperwork." I chuckle and follow him into the apartment. We get to the dining room and everyone is uncharacteristically quiet.

"Riley, you made it." Melody smiles and I smile, her head snaps to Malik and Marcus Jr. suddenly, "I swear to god if you two don't behave…"

"Malik, Marcus jr.–" I say.

"I'm Inferno, man." Malik says and I smile.

"Not while I remember you in diapers, buddy." I say and laughter breaks out around the table.

"Gunner," I nod my greeting and he stands to shake my hand. He's a little more stiff than his father but I think he'll be more laid back in his later years …if Melanie doesn't drive him insane first.

"Melanie," I look at her and she smiles then I look to Darcy sitting between the twins, "Darcy." My eyes stay on her for a long moment.

"Hi." She smiles shyly and then looks down at her plate.

"You look nice." I say and I realize everyone is quiet and watching us. "And Melanie, you look like you're ready for a fun night."

Melanie starts laughing and the twins as well. I think I've missed something. Darcy looks beautiful though, I take my seat next to Eric and quietly wish I was seated next to her.

"So, Riley, how's work?" Gunner asks and I drag my eyes from Darcy.

"It's a pain in the ass." I chuckle and we go off on some conversation about the fence and the guards stationed there. My eyes keep flitting to Darcy. The twins are asking her questions about explosives and she's trying to evade any serious ones. Her eyes meet mine and I can see that faint coloring in her cheeks as she mentally folds into herself. I want her so bad. I just want her near me. I'm suddenly overtaken with violent jealousy of Eric and his relationship with Melanie. His closeness with her. I want Darcy that close. Shit.

I take a long swallow of the bourbon in my glass easily ignoring the burn as I have grown used to it over the years. My mind wanders to my father and how he drank like a fish. His abhorrence for me. I see that same pain in Darcy's eyes when she talks about her family. I look down at my glass, is this only bourbon? It's got me dwelling.

After dinner I help Marcus clear the plates while everyone else goes to the living room. I set a pile of dishes in the sink and turn around to see Darcy carrying the glasses so I go to help her. She smiles up at me, she has her walls up, I can practically feel them. I finally get a good look at what she's wearing as I take the glasses from her.

"You look…" I gaze down at the transparent cross on her dress and the skin of her thighs that aren't covered by her thigh high stockings. "Uhm… you look beautiful."

"Oh," She looks down at her dress self-consciously, "Th-thank you, R–sir."

She's stopped saying my name as soon as we got back to Dauntless from her trial. I think she's trying to be obedient, but I want to hear my name come out of her lips.

"Darcy!" Melanie comes into the kitchen laughing, Darcy startles and a glass slips from her hand and shatters on the floor. "Whoa." Melanie looks between us and Darcy kneels down hurriedly.

"Whoa, everything okay in here?" Melody comes in and Darcy is collecting the glass.

"Darcy, I'll do that." I say as I set the glasses on the counter. "Careful."

"I'm sorry. I'm so clumsy." She laughs lightly, but I can tell she's saying more to herself in her head. I can see it in the self-vilification in her eyes. The slight tremble of her bottom lip she tries to hide by biting it. I can see her hands shaking as Melody goes to grab a broom and Melanie is taking the other glasses to the sink. I slip my hands under Darcy's and her eyes meet mine.

"It's just a glass." I whisper. "Don't worry about it, darling." I don't mean to say it but it slips from my lips. I've never called anyone darling before. "Let me clean it up. I don't want you to cut yourself."

She tips her hands carefully and the broken glass drops into my palms. Melanie comes back over and pulls Darcy up by the arm, "You've got to see this video Malik has on his phone, come one, you're gonna piss yourself."

"That's ladylike…" Darcy mumbles as she's pulled out of the kitchen.

"Uh-oh." I hear and look over at Marcus.

"Sorry, it slipped from her hand, Marcus."

He shakes his head, "I'm not talking about that." Marcus says. "I thought I noticed something at the table."

"I'm afraid I'm not following." I say quietly as I stand up and carry the glass to the garbage bin. Melody starts sweeping the shards and they both look at me.

"Everyone else is following." Melody says. "You like that girl."

I chuckle, "I like a lot of girls." I say and carefully brush my hands of any other pieces, hoping pulling my reputation card will work.

Melody hands the broom to Marcus and her hand grips my jaw tight, I fear this woman. I have good reason to. She pulls me down just slightly to her level and her copper-colored eyes study my face, I try to make my expression impassive. Her eyes have this way of boring through anyone's skull and looking into their soul. I've learned to hold very still when she does this.

"You got it bad." She shakes her head and I think back to Melanie saying those exact words in the bar. Marcus hums his agreement and I look at the smirk on his face. I'm fucked.

* * *

As we're getting ready to leave the apartment Melody and Marcus smile at us all and she hugs me. "Don't worry, honey, you'll be fine." She whispers in my ear. I've known Melody the longest. She could put the fear of god in an atheist. But she's been like the older sister I've always needed, especially after my mother passed when I was young. She knows me better than anyone I think.

I turn to Marcus and shake his hand but he pulls me in for a hug as well. I turn to the twins and nod to both of them separately, "Malik. Marcus Jr.. Don't give your mother too much trouble."

"How the hell do you tell them apart?" Eric asks, I look at him and then back to the twins.

"That's easy. That one is Malik and that one is Marcus Jr.." I point. Eric looks at them, narrows his eyes and tries to see any difference, "It's obvious, man." I slap him on the back and head for the door.

I step out into the hall where Melanie is talking to Darcy. Darcy smiles at Melanie and listens with interest. Her hair is like pale gold flowing over her shoulders in wavy, loose curls. I want her. I want her so bad it makes me feel sick in the pit of my stomach like I'm going to lose her to someone else.

Eric and Gunner come out of the apartment and I take my eyes away from Darcy. The girls look over briefly then Melanie hooks her arm with Darcy's and they start down the hall with the three of us behind them. I watch her hair swaying as she walks. She glides. She doesn't walk. She floats. She's so small and delicate. She seems so harmless.

"Right, Riley?" Eric bumps my arm and I look over at him.

"Huh, yeah.." I look between him and Gunner. I think I've just missed a whole conversation.

They start talking again and I look back to Darcy. She's laughing about something with Melanie. We enter into the stairwell and I watch Darcy carefully.

When we get to the Pit the music is loud enough to make my lungs vibrate. Melanie immediately pulls Darcy into the crowd and I try to keep track of her blonde, luminescent hair. If any guy fucks with her I'll smash his face in. Eric, Gunner and I go to stand near a wall and observe the chaos. Eric is quiet and Gunner folds his arms and leans towards me, "My sister is going to be the death of me." he says. Not if she doesn't kill off Eric first, I think. "Is that Darcy girl someone I need to be concerned about with Melanie?"

I look at Gunner, "Darcy isn't trouble."

"Really, because I've been hearing plenty about her."

"I didn't know you were such a gossiper, Gunner." I say.

"I'm not. I'm a listener. She's got a record."

"So do I." I lift my chin as I look at him.

"I didn't mean it like that, Riley." He says. "I'm looking out for my sister."

Maybe you should turn the fuck around then and look at Eric. I don't say it. That would be callous. He'll find out one way or another. Hopefully it's not the way I did. I'd be burying Eric the next day. Melanie too probably.

"Darcy is a good girl." I say, she is. If you supervise her lighter use. Gunner nods and looks around with boredom in his eyes.

He bumps Eric's shoulder, "Keep an eye on my sister." He says and I want to laugh, Eric has been keeping more than an eye on Melanie. Eric nods and Gunner leaves. I drag my eyes form Gunner's back and look at Eric. We stare at one another for a moment then simultaneously look to find the girls. I see Darcy dancing with Uriah. Or well.. Uriah is trying to get her to dance. She's shy at first but then accepts his offer. Uriah is a good kid. Except…he's holding her close. I sigh heavily and feel the malcontent rising inside me, bubbling slowly like molten lava.

Uriah keeps her to himself song after song. I look over and Eric is gone. I look for Melanie and she's gone too. Great. He's probably keeping an eye on her. A very close eye. Dumbass. I'm a dumbass too, though. I should've married years ago. Maybe that factor would've stopped this self-destructive path I'm so obviously stumbling down. Or would it have? If I had married someone and then met Darcy, would I still feel this way? Would I be dreaming of her and waking with guilt instead of longing? I take a deep breath and walk through the crowd. I tap on Uriah's shoulder and he looks at me. With little persuasion needed he surrenders Darcy to me. Good kid, that one.

Darcy looks up at me over her shoulder just before I grab her hips and pull her to me. The music is loud enough we don't have to talk. I touch her arms and raise them, slowly sliding my fingers up to place her hands on my neck. I grab her hips again and we move together. She smells sweet and sharp, my mouth is watering as I slide my palms across her abdomen.

As the next song plays, it's louder than the last and the lights flash in time with the beat. I pull Darcy through the crowd to the nearest exit. I know where I'll take her.

"I'm–I've done something again, haven't I?" She says softly. I don't answer her, "You came to dance with me, you know." she says quietly trying to defend herself. I squeeze her hand, probably a little too hard and then stop walking. The clicking of her heels on the floor stops and we're in silence for 2.5 seconds before I pull her to me in the dimly lit hallway.

My arm is tight around her waist and I can just barely see her face with the light from the lamp down the hall. "S-sir?" She speaks softly.

"Yes, Darcy?" I whisper. Fucking 'sir' again.

"What are we doing?" She asks. I don't have an answer adequate enough so much as what I do instead.

* * *

 **Darcy**

I feel his lips against mine. The rough brush of hair on my chin makes my heart stammer in my chest. His hands slide down my neck as his tongue touches mine and he pulls my waist so that my body is pressed to his. He's very warm. As I wrap my arms around his neck I don't feel ashamed. I squeeze my arms gently and he groans when his hands have gripped me firmly on the ass.

A couple minutes have past and he's dragging me across the wall, not breaking from my lips and I hear a click. We stumble through a door and I hear him shut it. I pull away from his lips and try to look around, but it's so dark.

"Where are we?" I reach out and feel a shelf, my fingers touch small boxes. "Oh my god this isn't funny." We're in that fucking closet.

"It's not meant to be funny." He whispers. "You didn't give me a chance last time."

His hands find me and I melt at the sensation of his beard on my neck, I don't know why that does it for me. He sucks tenderly on my neck and I wrap my arms back around his, tangling my fingers into his hair. I'm trying not to lose my fucking mind.

"I don't have any condoms," He breathes. Red alert! No!

"Then." I gasp, his hands are wandering into never been touched territory. "We can't." My voice is rendered weak as his hands slide under my dress and his thumbs hook into my underwear.

"Okay." He mutters against my lips , "We won't…. We'll just…" I think we're both finding it hard to think with our lips on one another. "Fuck.." he growls and starts to pull my panties down.

I whimper slightly as I grab his hands.

"I'm not putting my dick in you, I promise." I can hear the smile in his voice. "I'll use my tongue."

"What?! I don't know.. I've never.." I shake my head embarrassed by the words in my mouth.

"Well, I can do it and if you want me to stop then you just tell me." His voice is making this harder to refuse. He brushes his cheek against mine until the tips of our noses touch. "I gotta have you one way or another." He breathes against my lips.

My whole body is trembling as I try to think this over clearly, "Okay." As soon as the word leaves my mouth his lips touch mine, briefly. Then my chin. He kisses down my neck and to the neckline of my dress. I feel his kisses through the material as he inches his way down. He removes my panties from around my ankles then hooks my left leg over his shoulder and all the muscles in my back are tense until his mouth closes on me. I suck in sharply and uncertainty floods through my body. But slowly–and I mean achingly slow–I start to relax, but then they tighten again. The reaction of his contact is turning into a pattern of abundant humiliation and pure pleasure contracting in every muscle of my body. His fingertips dig into my thigh and my fingers are lost in his hair, his head moves against my palms and I can't open my eyes. He stops for only a moment before pulling me down to the floor with him. He rolls on top of me and kisses my neck then he's gone, back down between my legs. His hands squeeze my thighs hard and my fingers pull gently at his soft hair.

My lips tremble as his name comes out breathlessly. I stutter and fumble over my thoughts as his tongue curls and rolls. My heart is drumming in my ears and my fingers tighten in his hair. I don't know how long he's down there. I can't determine anything right now. The swelling sensation inside of me is growing fast and I feel my back arch as I can't even say his name fully. I swear to any god there is, it feels like a firework has gone off inside me as I cry out his name and my hands leave his hair and slam to the floor. He keeps going, unfaltering in his task until I've quieted. Only then does he stop.

I don't have to wonder if I'm blushing. I can feel how hot my face is.

"You okay?" He whispers, I can't answer him. "Darcy, what's wrong?"

"I'm…" I can't think. "I.. uhm.. Thank you–fuck, no, not thank you–I mean yeah, thank you…jesus fuck…" I mutter. I'm ruining this. He starts laughing, it's deep like a quiet thunder rolling over the ruined landscape that is my dignity. But for some reason it is soothing as his laughter fills the void I can't fill.

I hear him stand up still chuckling to himself, I sit up and try to find my panties. "Riley, do you have my underwear?" I whisper.

"Yes." He's fucking smiling again.

"Can I have them back?" I ask.

"No." I feel his hands touch my face and I grab his wrists, his hands turn and grab mine so he can pull me up. "You can have them back tomorrow night. After dinner."

"Tomorrow is initiation though.."

"You're not going to be busy after dinner." His forehead touches mine, "Now, let me walk you back." Riley wraps an arm around me and pulls me to his chest. His lips touch my forehead and I feel thoroughly embarrassed but complacent at the same time. I didn't run away from him and the berating voice in my head stammers every time it tries to spit out an insult.

"I don't want to go back just yet." I whisper. I feel like if I step out of this closet I'm going to be taken over by my shame and guilt again.

"Me either." His fingers comb into my hair, there's a familiar beeping and Riley groans quietly and a couple seconds later his phone lights up his face. "God damn, Uriah." He growls.

He grabs my wrist and pulls me out of the closet. I am so acutely aware of the draft between my legs. He lets me go halfway through the hall and I can hear a commotion from the Pit. Slowly I approach the doorway and look down. There are two Dauntless-born fighting, it's not a fun fight either. Uriah is on top of another kid and driving his fist into his face. Suddenly another Dauntless-born tackles Uriah then there's two more and soon there's a whole bunch of them! I look around for Melanie, where is she? Riley is down there tearing teenagers off of each other, cussing like there's no tomorrow. There's so much noise and violence. Riley is doing what he can. Where the fuck is Eric?

I come down the stairs just as Uriah is shoved, he collides into me, "Darcy!" He shouts as we hit the wall. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." I nod, except I just slammed my elbow into the wall. Uriah starts to go back, but I curl my fingers into his shirt. "Uriah, you're nose is bleeding." I shake my head. "Let's go to the infirmary." He looks back to the chaotic crowd and then back to me. I turn and look at the fire alarm. Well.. this is a first for me. I flip up the plastic cover and pull the little lever down then turn it. A siren goes off and water starts pouring out from spouts planted in the walls. Riley pops up from the crowd and looks at me. I wave and grab Uriah's arm and pull him away.

"You look really nice, Darcy." Uriah is clearly drunk. He smiles at me.

"Thank you, Uriah." I say.

"Fuck, my head is, like, pounding."

"I bet." I giggle. I hook my arm with his as we walk and he tells me about the fight that just broke out. He got into an argument with someone. He doesn't remember if he threw the first punch or not. My dress is clinging to my skin from the water and I'm a little cold. Uriah and I walk into the infirmary and he takes a seat to wait. When he's called back I leave the infirmary. As I push the door open and walk out into the hall I bump into Four. Shit.

"Four." I nod and smile politely, "Sorry, I should watch where I'm going."

"Are you alright?" He looks at the infirmary door and then to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I nod, "I was just helping Uriah."

"Don't tell me he got into another fight?" Four laughs lightly. "I'm surprised he's survived this long." He shakes his head and smiles. I look down at the clipboard in his hand.

"You're working?" I ask quietly.

"Hm? Yeah." he nods and a shy smile forms on his lips, "I'm trying to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow."

"Always good to be prepared." I say and instantly think of Riley. Unprepared Riley. I giggle suddenly and Four smiles at me. I can't tell him what I'm thinking about though. A quiet moment settles between us.

"Can I walk you somewhere?" Four asks and for a second I'm wondering if this is the same Four I was running from, the same Four I lunged into Riley's arms and was crawling up him like a tree to escape?

"I'm just going back to the Pit." I say.

"I'm going that way." Four says.

"Okay."

We walk together and Four looks down at my dress, "Did something happen?"

"Hm?" I look down and remember I'm still soaked. "Oh… yeah.. I pulled the fire alarm because a fight broke out in the Pit and Riley was trying to break it up but there was just too many."

"Hm. Where's Eric?"

"I don't know." I say. He's probably with Melanie. I really wish Riley would've let me have my panties back. Just thinking about him keeping them from me takes my mind back to the closet floor. His face between my legs.

"Well, it's good Riley is there to handle it." Four says and I look at him. I'd forgotten about him for a second. "He's a good guy."

"Yeah?" I stare at the floor. Max would freak if he knew what Riley did. What I let Riley do.

"Yeah. Good guy even if he does have tons of chicks all over the place." Four says, "Everyone says he's got like an army of children he's fathered, running around this district."

"Is that so?" My throat feels dry.

"Maybe, I don't know." Four is checking over a list on his clipboard for the second time as we approach the Pit. The alarm has been silenced and the water shut off. Music is playing again. Riley is talking to Max across the Pit and I see Eric with them. I look around for Melanie but I don't see her. "Well, have a good night, Darcy." Four says before walking away.

"You too.." I say numbly. I run a hand through my damp hair and shake it out a little bringing it over my shoulder. My eyes slide across the crowd again only to find Riley's. He's watching me. I think I'm going to call it a night. That and I could just bash my stupid head into the wall. I don't return his smile, I just turn and walk back down the hallway.

It's not like it's surprising, but god damn it! I am a little fucking surprised. I can't believe I let Riley do that. And now he thinks I'll just come running to him tomorrow? I wonder how many girls are running to him. Bastard.

I'm walking down the hallway when I hear Riley call my name. I don't answer him and keep going. But of course he catches up to me. "Darcy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." I say as I keep going toward the dormitory. "Have a nice night."

Riley grabs my hand and pulls me to turn to him. I look up at him and feel nothing but stupid.

"I'm sorry, Riley, I can't be one of your 'special' friends." I say.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He snaps and I pull my hand from his.

"I'm talking about you and your little… collection of women. I'll not be part of your womanizing habit." I say and turn from him but his hand grabs my arm roughly and he yanks me back. I look up at him.

"You seem to forget who I am very often, so let me remind you." He growls deeply and steps toward me, I step back until he has me against the wall. "I'm a leader of this faction. I do my damn best to keep everything together. I do my fucking job. How I spend my leisure time is my business not everyone else's." His hand grabs my face suddenly so I can't look away from him, "So if you want to know something about me then you ask me yourself. Don't fucking gossip with some little shithead on subjects you know nothing about."

I grab his hand and pull it away from my face. His expression softens and I can tell in his eyes he didn't mean to get vicious. "I'm sorry, Darcy." He says softly. "I… I'm not very proud of my reputation."

He turns on his heel and leaves without a second glance. I feel horrid. I can't believe I said that to him. So what if he has a reputation, I'm not one to talk. I go into the dormitory and I am completely beside myself. I've just made Riley hate me most likely. I'm so fucking stupid.

I go into the showers and undress. Hot water washes over me and I stand there staring down at the drain. Why was I so quick to think badly of him? Because I need a reason to not like him? I wash my face and hair. I take my time. After drying I pull on my night shorts and tank top and crawl into bed. I wonder when Melanie will be back.

I drift off to sleep and am plagued by horrible things I say. Things I say to everyone. Lies I tell. Like fire from my lips. I spew inconsistent stories and rambling insults. I hear my mother's voice come from my mouth and I sit up straight in bed. A cold sweat makes my tank cling to me. I look over and Melanie isn't in her bed. I'm not sure what time it is, but I quietly get out of bed and slip my shoes on. I need to talk to Riley right now.

I wander through the halls and then up the stairwell to where Melanie had come from Eric's place the other day. She had mentioned that Riley and Eric lived right next to one another. I pass their doors and luckily their names are in block letters on their doors. It gets a little chilly in this place at night. When I come to his door I knock timidly at first and then think he's probably asleep.

This thought should really make me turn away and leave but I don't. I knock a little louder. There's no sound inside. Either he's ignoring me or he's asleep. Panic seeps through me and I'm not sure why. I turn and lean my back against the door and sink to the floor. I wrap my arms around my legs and put my forehead to my knees. Why am I such an asshole?

"You don't do this every night do you?"

I look up and Riley is gazing down at me tiredly. "Riley, I thought…" I get to my feet, "I thought you were asleep or something."

"I just went out to have a smoke." He says. "Did you need something?" His eyes are cold and distant.

"I was hoping I could apologize to you." I say softly. He steps closer and reaches around to unlock the door. We walk inside and he flips the light switch on. I look around as he takes his coat off. The apartment is very organized. Clean. Except for a glass object that is shattered on the floor near the bookshelf in the living room. Somehow I feel like that was my doing. I see images in my head of Riley coming back here and being distraught because of my words. Him throwing something… much like I did at my trial. "Riley, I'm sorry." I say quietly. I turn around and he's right behind me looking down with hooded eyes. I blink a few times trying to find the words, "I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm not–I shouldn't be judging anyone when I don't have the cleanest hands in the first place–" His finger touches my lips and I close my mouth.

"Would you like some water or soda?" He asks.

I look between his eyes, "Water." I say against his finger and he drops his hand. I follow him into a very clean kitchen. "You're a pretty tidy guy, huh?"

"I guess." He mumbles and takes a cup out. "I don't… have company often."

"I didn't expect it to be so clean."

"What did you expect?

"Well… I haven't really thought about your living quarters. But I suppose if I had I would've expected some laundry here and there."

"If you want a mess you'll have to make it yourself." He says as he hands me the cup of water. I look him in the eyes and know he's forgiven me. He's not smiling but the hardness in his eyes is gone. There's a magnetic pull between us as always. Something palpable. His hand touches mine as he takes my untouched water and sets it on the counter. I nod numbly as he leans down and touches his cheek to my mine and his facial hair tickles as he slides his lips to my mouth. His tongue traces my upper lip, silently asking for entrance. I grant it.

My heart slams in my chest as his hands find mine and he pins me to the wall with my arms above my head.

"I thought you wanted me to come tomorrow." I whisper breathlessly between kisses.

"It is tomorrow. You'll come soon."

* * *

 **Riley**

Within minutes she's down to her underwear and I've got her against the wall. My mind keeps repeating that I need a condom.

"Riley, I want you inside me." Darcy whispers breathlessly against my lips and I don't hear that condom alarm in my head anymore. I pick her up over my shoulder and take her to the bedroom and toss her on the bed. I pull my shirt off and she giggles and sits up, I nod for her to come over to at the edge of the bed. She crawls over and her hands grip my belt. I watch her undo it and my button. She's so beautiful. I grab her hands and she looks up at me.

"Get under the blankets." I say. I lose the pants and get in the bed.

I touch my lips to hers slowly, her fingertips touch my jaw and she slides her hand to the back of my head. "You like my beard?" I whisper and touch her nose with mine.

"Yes." She nods gently and smiles. I roll over onto her and her little lace panties are the only thing keeping me from her.

"You a virgin?" I ask. She bites her bottom lip and nods nervously. "Alright. Turn over."

"Turn over?" She squeaks.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna fuck you in the ass." I whisper and kiss the tip of her nose. She's going to be tense. She turns onto her stomach and I slip my hand between her legs. I touch her gently and she moans softly into the mattress. I pull her panties off and spread her legs then I get behind her.

"Riley, what about a condom?" She asks. I reach over and pull the drawer to my night table open and set one out.

"I'll put it on in a little bit, okay?"

"Why not now?"

"I want to feel you first, Darce." I say softly, "Don't worry."

I grab her hips and pull them up, she bends her knees and I look at the details of her back. Her skin is smooth and perfect. I press the tip against her and she shudders, goosebumps rise on her skin and I trace my fingertips over her back. She relaxes and I push in carefully. She whimpers and tenses again, "It's okay," I whisper as I trail my fingers across her back once more.

Inch by inch I do this, push and soothe her by touching her soft skin. When I pull out and push back in I touch her and she's okay, so I keep doing it until she is relaxed and used to me. I lean over her and grab the condom. I keep rolling my hips back and forth, my left hand on her back as I use my teeth to tear the foil. I remove the condom, roll it on the tip of my thumb just a little then pull out of her and in one fell swoop roll it on and push back into her before she has time to miss me.

I go for a few minutes then pull out again and grab her arm pulling her up and around to face me. I sit back and pull her onto me. Her arms wrap around my neck and I let her sit there for a minute with me inside her while I kiss her lips tenderly then I lay her down carefully and her legs are trembling. She doesn't seem nervous though so I brace myself with one forearm and use my other hand to hold her.

Darcy's legs wrap around me as I get a rhythm going. Her breathing in my ear keeps me determined. I'm trying to keep it slow and calm, but every time she moans I push a little harder. I slide a hand under her ass and kiss her neck. Her hands touch my neck and jaw. She loves my beard. She's the only one that's ever liked it. I push my tongue into her mouth and she accepts it, happily it seems. She sucks on my tongue and I forget what I'm doing for a second, my thrusts faltering.

"Riley, I…" She breathes against my lips. Shit. I've never done this with anyone. Not slow.

"Yeah?" I whisper as I lower my head and kiss her neck, bite her shoulder gently. Slow feels good. Really good. Her fingernails dig into my back and her body moves against mine subtly.

"Riley, I–I'm…" What is it she wants to say? I feel her tighten and she cries out my name again. Her body pulses against mine. Now I can do it for me. I push into her hard. The bed rocks and creaks, the headboard is hitting the wall with loud thumps. Darcy's face is so beautiful and every thrust into her is better than the last.. It feels amazing. I feel like I'm going to fucking die and I'm completely fine with it.

"Keep it down!" I hear Eric yell next door as he bangs on the wall. I ignore him and go even harder.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello! *waves* It's Melanie & Eric's Thursday today. Eric is finally here wih his own POV so sit back and relax and enjoy the chapter. Don't be shy and just let me know what you thought about this chapter. See you on Monday, Muffins xoxox**

* * *

 **Melanie**

I hum appreciatively while Darcy twirls in front me, dressed in a cropped tight lace tee combined with tight leather hotpants above a pair of platform ankle boots. "Happy?" I ask her for the twentieth time today. She answers me with one of her nervous giggles while nodding. "Okay, next outfit!" I grin.

She disappears into the booth and I lean against the back of the worn leather sofa. So far she has chosen twelve of the twenty outfits we picked, and I had to say that shopping with her was fun.

We share the same likes and dislikes so there aren't any lengthy discussions needed.

But we still haven't decided what to wear to the party tonight. Each year the faction celebrates the beginning of initiation by organising a huge party in the Pit in honour of the Dauntless-born on the day of their Aptitude test.

I had taken my test earlier this morning and my result was one hundred per cent Dauntless, as expected. I thought the test was hilarious, with the dog and the crazy old guy in the bus. I killed them both without even blinking my eyes, and that was that.

I honestly don't understand what all the fuss is all about, especially the bullshit rule of not being allowed to tell others about it. Faction laws, my ass!

Darcy had laughed when I had told her that, even though she had gone pale when I had told her about stabbing the dog to death.

She reappears and my mouth drops open when I see the dress she is wearing. "Oh, my god, this is the one!" I shriek. It is the most gorgeous lace tank top with a sheer cross front that ends halfway her cream-coloured thighs. Only a few inches of her thighs are visible between the tank top dress and the long lace-up tights she is wearing above the ankle boots from before.

"You think?" she asks me, blushing fiercely. I shriek again while the shop assistants nod in agreement. Her smile is shy but oh so radiant. "Then I'm done."

Less than five minutes later we leave the shop with each of us carrying four full bags of clothing and shoes and make up and accessories. I'll be broke till the end of next year, but every single credit is well spent.

We make our way through the massive crowd in the Pit and go back to the dorm where we store away her clothes in her locker and spread out the outfit she is going to wear later tonight on her bed.

"What are you going to wear tonight?" she asks me as we head back to the Pit.

I shrug. "I'm all about practicality while looking hot, so most likely also a dress or a skirt – and no underwear," I wink at her.

She lets out a surprised bark of laughter, only to end up in another fit of giggles when she sees that I'm dead serious.

"I don't think that Eric would agree with that," she laughs.

"Oh, I think he will - as long no one touches me."

She nudges me with her elbow. "I think he is the jealous type."

I shrug coolly. "I think he's possessive. He never likes to share what is his. But yeah, sometimes he can be a bit jealous as well."

She smiles rather cheekily. "And you're not afraid to poke the big, bad wolf with a stick?"

I begin to laugh. "I'm Dauntless – of course not! I would set his tail on fire if I have to."

"Blow him up would be a safer choice," she mumbles, and I shove her, screaming with laughter.

* * *

The Inferno is packed and buzzing with endless noise when I enter my family's establishment. People are talking loudly and laughing harder while rock music is thumping out of hidden speakers.

Both mom and dad immediately spot me and grin widely when I wave at them. As I make my way towards the main bar in the middle of the spacious room, people greet me left and right while I look around to see if I can spot Eric anywhere. I feel disappointed when I don't see him, but I already see another man I've been dying to talk to.

Riley is sitting at his usual spot at the end of the bar, sipping bourbon or something equally horrid. He looks troubled and miserable when I approach him.

"Hey, Riley," I smile and I sit down on the stool beside him. His eyes come to mine and stay there for a moment before he raises an eyebrow and smirks knowingly as his eyes slide down and up my body. He then shakes his head slightly and looks down to the glass he's nursing. "How's it going?" I ask him carefully.

He grunts and traces his finger around the edge of his glass before shaking his head again, clearly baffled by something. I can only hope that he isn't thinking about Eric and me. I don't think he will rat on us, but I am pretty sure that he will lecture me. He and Eric have a complicated relationship. They would each catch a bullet for the other, but they could also fight like cats and dogs.

Riley has known me since the day I was born, and he wouldn't hesitate to chew my head off if I did something he didn't approve – like fucking Eric.

A shadows falls over us and I look up to find my dad grinning down at me. He leans over the counter and plants a firm kiss on my forehead before sliding a huge glass of milk towards me. "Thanks, dad. Subtle hint!"

"Anytime, daughter dearest," he grins devilishly. He nods to Riley and then leaves us alone.

"Have you talked to Darcy today?" Riley asks me with his raspy deep voice as I take a sip of the creamy substance.

I frown slightly. "Here and there," I tell him tentatively. "Why?"

"Nothing," he mumbles and raises his glass to his lips. The ice cubes click against the glass and I can tell that he has had a few already. "Did you know she doesn't have a gag reflex?"

I press my lips into a thin line, not knowing what to think of his strange behaviour or his even stranger questions. "Can't say that I knew that," I say slowly.

"She..." he starts, then stops. How many times is he going to do that? What is he thinking about? First Darcy was acting weirder than usual till the point I just left her with Uriah and the others before leaving them all, and now Riley. What happened between them? And what are they trying to tell me in their maddening cryptic non-verbal way? They're really two peas in one fucking pod.

"What about her?" I ask, leaning towards him.

"Does she not like me or something?" he asks me. I snort with laughter and his brow furrows. "That wasn't a joke, Melanie."

I straighten myself and sigh. "I don't know, Riley. I'm not going to put my head on that chopping block." I shrug slightly. "But I'm not saying that she doesn't like you." If only he could see how see stares at him whenever he's not looking.

"Well, I like her," he sighs.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know yet," I say flatly.

"What?" His eyes widen and he shakes his head slightly in disbelief.

I lean towards him again and raise my eyebrows while studying his eyes closely. "You got it bad, man."

"And I don't know shit what to do about it." He closes his eyes and rubs them with the heels of his hands.

I've never seen him like this before. I don't know what to say or do. It hurts seeing him like this, and I can feel his pain. Riley isn't anything like Eric, but he's always been balanced and stable; a solid rock with enough warmth to put the sun to shame, and enough coldness to freeze the Poles over. Nothing and nobody could shake him – until Darcy came along. Man, he got it bad!

I take one of his large hand between my hands and rubs it. "Drinking won't help you with this," I say gently. "Look, I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but keep trying to talk to her. Just be there for her and let her get used to you. She's..." I sigh. "She is hurt and scared and angry."

He snorts. "Yeah, I've seen her anger, alright..."

"Don't give up on her," I continue. "She'll run, she'll fight, until one day she'll finally begin to understand that you don't pity her, but actually like her for who she really is behind all those fucked up walls she has built around herself. I can only hope that it won't take neither of us too long to get through to her."

He lets out a laugh and shakes his head again. "You're wise beyond your years, milady."

"Is that a polite way of saying that I'm looking too old?" I joke.

"It means that I understand why Eric is chasing after your fine ass, Mel," he sighs. He looks at me for a moment. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding. "Just be careful, alright?"

Oh, I don't like the sound of that. "Why?"

"Max already told Darcy, and I quote, 'that a romantic relationship between initiates and leaders are considered inappropriate', unquote, so I suggest you to stay under his radar at all costs."

Shit… "The cameras," I whisper.

Riley nods while staring at his drink. "Yeah, amongst others. And people talk. Just be careful, Mel – with Eric as well. He's ambitious as fuck. I wouldn't like seeing you getting hurt if he decides to drop you like last week's dirty laundry because he can't fit you in his elaborate schemes."

I open and close my mouth a few times, but I'm rendered speechless. Riley smirks and raises his glass to me. "Welcome to the real world, sweetheart."

* * *

 **Eric**

The front door opens and a cacophony of boisterous laughter and loud music welcomes me along with the mouth-watering smells drifting towards me from the kitchen, and of course, the radiant smile of Melanie's mother. Melanie has nothing to worry about growing older with her genes: At forty-four her mother is still absolutely gorgeous.

She pulls me to her for a warm embrace and a loving kiss on my cheek. "Eric, you're early! Come in!"

"Hi, Melody." I smile as she steps aside to let me in. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," she reassures me in her beautiful sing-song voice. "You can help me get rid of the bodies."

I frown at that. "What bodies?" I ask, already scanning the small hallway for any signs of bloodshed.

"The bodies of my sons I'm about to kill if they don't stop their bullshit right this instance!" she roars in the direction of the living room, and not for the first time since knowing her, I fear that she might actually act out her threat.

I almost step backwards when she quickly snaps her head back into our direction – and smiles ever so lovely.

I don't know what it is with her. I've known her for almost six years now, and still she manages to scare the fuck out of me with just one glance or a smile. And not just me because the music stops almost immediately and there isn't any other sound coming out of the living room.

God, what a woman!

She ushers me into the living room, all smiles and soft laughter, and I shake my head as I chuckle, even though I have no idea why I'm laughing. Marcus and Gunner rise from their seats and come to greet me while the twins are staring at me with big round eyes. To this day I can't tell them apart. They'll always been Twin One and Twin Two to me.

"Eric, long time no see, man," Marcus smiles as I give him a firm handshake. "Lost your way to Inferno, son?"

"Been too busy to find the time to relax," I smirk. "We had to get ready for the fresh batch of wannabees heading our way tomorrow."

I extend my hand to Gunner and he hands me a long glass, filled to the brim with bourbon on the rocks. I give him a dead-panned stare and he smirks in return. It is going to be one hell of a long night. "You're supervising again this year?" he asks me.

I nod while taking a sip. "Together with Riley. He volunteered."

Gunner raises his glass to me as we sit down on the black leather sofa. "Brave man."

I snort. "Stupid man… he lost a bet." I chuckle and take another sip. I can still hear Ian's laughter after winning the bet during poker night last week.

"Well, another Wilson is going to have to prove her worth this year," Marcus says, and I'm surprised to hear a tinge of sadness in his baritone voice. He isn't the man for sentimentality.

"She'll be fine, Marcus," Melody says as she sits down beside her husband. "We taught her well, and she knows what's at stake. Mark my words, she's going to surprise all of us."

Marcus grunts. "You know I don't mean her physical abilities, Mel, but what will happen if the guy she's dating fails initiation? What is she going to do then, huh?"

I freeze and my glass stops in front of my mouth. Melanie is dating someone else beside me?

"Wait, what?" Gunner blurts out, but his parents ignore him as they turn towards each other for one of their notorious face offs.

"Do you actually believe that she will throw away her future for some guy just because he claimed her V-card?" Melody snaps angrily.

Oh shit, they know!

"Wait, what? Who?" Gunner is about to lose it, and it doesn't help that the twins are snickering loudly.

"I did not raise our only daughter to be irresponsible and stupid, and to run after some bow-legged tattooed boy just because he hung his dingdong in her honey pot!" Melody continues. "And who told you he is one of the initiates? For all we know it could be any of the ten thousand plus guys over eighteen here in Dauntless."

"Well, minus Four, that is," I shrug coolly, "and I think you can scrap Max of that list as well."

Everybody stares at me for a moment and then laughter erupts all around me. I smirk and the glass continues its journey towards my mouth.

The liquid fire sets my throat on fire and I clench my jaw when it explodes and spreads like wildfire in my stomach. Yep, it is going to be one hell of a long night…

* * *

By the time Melanie finally arrives with Darcy, I'm helping Melody setting the dining table while she is chatting away about god-knows-what. It is the sudden silence in the living room that alarms us both and I follow Melody when she walks into the living room to see what could be the cause of this highly unusual event.

I stop dead in my tracks when I see Melanie, dressed in a piece of sheer black lace that isn't even worthy of the title dress or clothing. Handkerchief comes to mind, then napkin, and finally all coherent thoughts leave my brains when all blood rushes downwards to settle in my cock. The world begins to spin, I'm that fast rock hard. I don't even dare to breathe, afraid of coming with the next inhale and to lose consciousness and drown in a puddle of my own semen.

She is wearing black lace underwear beneath the handkerchief and I all want to do is grab her and fuck her senseless on the dining table between the platters and silverware until she sees God and begs Him for forgiveness for her stupidity.

"I'm getting too old for this shit," Marcus sighs, and he rises from his seat and walks out the living room without another word.

Melanie smiles shyly while looking at her mother. "Too much?"

"You just put Max and Four on the list, sweetheart," Melody mumbles perplexed. A muscle starts to twitch beneath my right eye. "Did you spray-paint it on, dear?" Darcy snorts and quickly covers her mouth with both her hands. "How did you even manage to walk the distance between the dorm and home dressed like this?" Melody wonders in a soft voice.

"Melanie could kick someone's ass, dress or not, ma'am," Darcy says. "Okay, that came out wrong… Anyway, no one dared to come near us, but there may have been some that followed us for her," she giggles. "They're probably outside waiting."

Before she has even finished the sentence, Gunner is already halfway the small hallway while cocking his gun. The twins want to follow him, but both Melody and Melanie manage to grab one of each, pulling them back and pushing them towards the couch. "Hi, I'm Darcy," she says timidly.

Just then I hear Gunner roaring obscenities outside of the apartment.

The world disappears around me while I stare at Melanie. I can't take my eyes off of her. Every time I blink, I feel my anger rising and falling like the tides. She steals a glance at me, and a growl nearly escapes my throat. Her eyes widen, and for a split second I believe that she's truly terrified of me.

Good.

I have no idea what she possibly could've been thinking when she decided to wear that … thing, but I'll make regret her bold decision, one way or the other.

"I'm going to change into something else," she says quietly with her eyes cast down.

Smart girl.

My eyes follow her when she exits the living room, and I almost explode when I see that she is wearing a thong. A Thong!

"Eric, breathe, honey," Melody whispers in my ear. "I won't be having a leader dying on me in my goddamn house."

"Excuse me," I growl and I quickly follow Melanie into the hallway. The door to her bedroom is slammed shut before I can stop her, but I open it and enter her room without knocking.

She twirls around and gasp when I lock the door behind me.

With every step I take towards her, she backs away from me with fear in her eyes. I point at her and open my mouth, but no words are uttered. I clench my hands into tight fists and just glare with all my might at her.

The veins in my neck and on my forehead are about to burst open when she suddenly smirks triumphantly at me. I can see my heartbeat around the edges of my vision. It takes me one step to reach her, and this time she stands her ground. I grab her by the throat and growl at her.

"Red is definitively not your colour, Eric," she laughs breathlessly. "Green isn't either."

I tighten my grip around her neck and she gasp while her hands grab my wrist. "Burn that dress, or I swear I will while you're still wearing it," I snarl.

She nods frantically. "Alright, alright! Jeez!"

With much effort I manage to release her while my first and foremost instinct is to strangle her. "I don't give a fuck where you get one, but you better find a goddamn Stiff dress to wear to the party. Am I making myself clear?"

Her amber eyes flash with anger, and once again she reminds me of her mother. "Loud and clear, sir," she hisses with narrowed eyes.

"Be grateful that we're at your parents' house," I growl. "Out of respect for them I won't kill their only daughter in front of them. But pull this stunt one more time and I will kill you."

"Why? Because I'm wearing this?" she shout-whispers while gesturing to her delicious body.

"Because you look like a fucking whore, Melanie!" I roar.

"Good! That was my intention all along!" she shouts back. "You know what, I'm keeping this on! Go fuck yourself while I'll be having the fucking time of my life!"

Before I can do anything rash, I hear Darcy on the other side of the door, saying, "Aww, don't kill her. I'll be all by my lonesome." Little sarcastic bitch. She's next on my list. Can't wait to set her on fire.

"Who wants to kill my baby girl!?" I hear melody shouting behind her. "Eric, don't you dare laying one finger on my baby girl, or else there'll be hell to pay!"

"I don't know, kind of sounded more like foreplay to me," Darcy states dryly.

"Gunner, put down that gun! She's only kidding!"

Melanie stares at me with big, round eyes and suddenly she begins to scream with laughter.

She falls against me and just laughs and laughs until tears are rolling down her cheeks, all the while holding on to me for support.

I just hold her and sigh as my entire body throbs with unspent anger.

It is going to be the worst night of my life…

Fuck, I need to kill someone.

And a brownie… I need a brownie…. A whole goddamn platter of them.

* * *

She cups my face with both of her hands, her slender fingers gently caressing my cheeks. "I'm sorry," she whispers against my lips. "I really am, Eric."

I let out a deep sign and she presses those luscious lips against my mouth again as I grit my teeth and I fucking melt when the tip of her tongue brushes over my bottom lip. Jesus fucking Christ… Witch… Succubus…

"We need to get back," I sneer, claiming back my goddamn masculinity. "We'll talk about this another time."

'Eric, please," she whispers with a quivering bottom lip, and her voice breaks halfway her 'Please', and I feel like a complete asshole for making her feel this way.

She'll be the death of me one day; of that I am certain. I can only wish for it to be a quick and clean death – preferably while fucking her senseless. Fucking eighteen years old and already so perfectly in control. Siren... Sorceress… Evil magician… Harpy… Bitch… My bitch. Fucking mine!

I grab the back of her head and hold her in position as I all but devour her. Her hunger equals mine and I swear that I can't feel my fucking knees anymore when she begins sucking my tongue as if she is giving it head.

I manage to break off the kiss with some considerable force and take a step back, only to shudder violently when I see pure, unbridled lust in her hooded gaze.

I point a finger at her. "Get dressed in something else, and come to the dining room for your mother's homemade family dinner. Not one wrong word out of you, you hear me?"

She swallows hard and nods. "Okay."

I leave before I lose the last shred of my sanity and head towards the bath room.

I turn open the faucet and wash my face with cold water until the tips of my nose and fingers are numb.

By the time I return to the others, I'm feeling almost entirely myself again: cool, detached, and back in control – or at least it appears that way.

Darcy is seated between the twins who are grinning widely, and I smirk at her discomfort. Boy, is she in for a treat. Serve her right.

Marcus has returned as well, and he nods tiredly when I sit down beside him at the dining table.

I glance around to see where Gunner is, and frown when noticing that he is not present.

"Gunner went outside for some fresh air," Marcus sighs. "He'll be back after he's cooled down. There is a similar reason why I left, son. You see, daughters are the only ones who will drive you insane and kill you off without any remorse. You will learn that there are certain situations only a mother is capable of handling. Walk away then, son. Walk away."

I clench my jaw and nod brusquely. It appears I have still much to learn.

Melody appears in the door opening and beckons me. I sigh through my nose as I rise and go to her.

"You okay?" she asks me, worried, as she rubs my arm.

"I shouldn't have reacted the way I've done, Melody," I sigh. "It was uncalled for and disrespectful towards Marcus and you."

She takes my hand and pulls me further into the kitchen. "Don't worry about that, okay? If you hadn't been here Gunner would've slapped her across the room and all hell would've broken loose."

She pauses for moment during which she studies me closely with a pensive look on her beautiful face. Then all of a sudden she glares at me with such hatred and anger in her eyes that makes me stagger backwards.

"But if you ever call my baby-girl a whore again, I will gut you like a pig," she hisses venomously. "Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am. Loud and clear," I say with numb lips.

Her face slowly morphs back into the worried look as her eyes soften. "That said… I have one more question for you, and I suggest that you take your time to think it through and come with the best possible answer. Could you do that for me, Eric?"

Our eyes lock when I nod slowly. "What is it, Melody?"

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" I tense and begin to open my mouth to speak, but she presses a finger against my lips. "Like I said, take your time to think it through, Eric. Be it an hour or a month, I don't care. But think before you say something that will break my girl's heart and end our friendship, okay?"

I sigh and avert my gaze, acknowledging defeat, and suddenly feeling so fucking tired. Of all the women in Dauntless, I had to go and fall for the one I shouldn't have. I look at Melody again and straighten myself just a little bit more before I nod. "I will."

She smiles. "I know you will, sweetheart. No, go and sit down. Let's eat and enjoy the evening!" Just when I'm about to leave the kitchen, she calls me back. "And Eric? Make sure you're the one to tell Gunner first, okay? You own him that much."

Just when I'm about to sit down again at the table, Melanie enters the room and once again I'm shaken to the core by her beauty. She is wearing peep-toe ankle boots with killer heels, a tight cropped top, and a leather mini skirt. Still not conservative enough, but at least her assets are covered.

She wraps her arms around her father's broad shoulders and kisses him on the cheek. "I'm sorry, dad."

He grunts. "I know you are, Mel. Now, let's get this dinner started before I faint!"

"If you want food, you better get your ass in here and help me then!" Melody roars, and I begin to chuckle when Marcus makes a face. But he still goes to do his wife's bidding – that is the power of the Wilson Women.

Melanie sits next to me. Our legs touch and when she looks at me and smiles tentatively I'm finally able to relax somewhat. I grab her hand underneath the table top when I lean towards her and whisper in her ear, "We need to talk."

She squeezes my hand gently and our fingers entwine. "I know, and we will."

* * *

For a long time, I watch her as she dances and laughs with her friends, carefree and having the time of her life while so many fuckers are eye-fucking her. And therein lies the problem.

I shouldn't have crossed my own boundaries. I've been attracted to her for as long I can remember, but I shouldn't have acted on it. I can't blame her fucking special brownies, and I can't blame her for being her.

I regret saying she looks like a whore. She is anything but one.

She is beautiful, sparkling, smart, funny, tough and strong, and crazy - especially crazy - and just perfect.

I know that she believes she loves me, but I will never stop wondering if she really does. I like to think that it isn't love what she is feeling for me, but just an infatuation. But that would be lying to myself because whenever she looks at me I can see clearly in her eyes that she does love me – and it scares the crap out of me.

I want her, that much I know, but is it just physical, or is there more to it? And if so, will it be enough for her?

She deserves nothing but the best, and even when I delude myself by believing that I am the best, I know deep down inside that I'm not – not for her.

I narrow my eyes when one of her male friends has the audacity to grab her hips and pulls her against his fit body. My anger ignites when

Melanie looks over her shoulder to him and smiles, seductively even. He whispers something in her ear and she laughs. I can hear her laughter loud and clear in my head even though the music is loud enough to drown my own inner voice.

To my horror they begin to sway on the rhythm of the music and Melanie is grinding her perfect ass against his groin while the singer is singing, " _I wanna fuck you like an animal_ ".

Oh, hell, no! Fuck this shit! Not happening on my watch!

I mow myself a clear path through the dancing crowd with just one mission on my mind: murder.

* * *

 **Melanie**

I feel his presence before Jace is violently plucked off of me, and flies above and into the crowd some feet away.

I gasp loudly and want to rush over to him to see if he's alright, but hands grab my arms and yank me back as Eric passes me with murder in his darkened eyes.

His face is a terrifying mask of anger, and panic rises inside of me and gives me enough strength to break free from the hands that try to hold me. I'm not the one they should try to stop; Eric is!

"Let go!" I scream, and suddenly I'm free again.

I reach out and manage to grab Eric's shirt. It doesn't stop him, but it slows him down enough for me to have enough time to jump in front of him. I press my hands against his chest and try to make him look at me, even though I am scared shitless and begin to sob the moment he does. He looks down to me with flared nostrils while he clenches and unclenches his jaw. But his eyes… oh, his eyes…

"Eric, please, don't!" When he goes to look at poor Jace again, I cup his face with both hands and force him to look at me again. He is grinding his teeth so hard that I can feel it in my own jaw. "Please…"

He grabs my wrist and drags me with him out of the Pit, away from everyone and everything. I'm having a hard time keeping my balance on these damn high heels as he marches through tunnels and corridors. I don't know where he's taking me, but I don't care – as long as he's not near Jace.

I don't know what has happened, why he wanted to kill Jace, but I do know that I'm scared, so utterly afraid, and that I can't stop crying.

Gradually Eric slows his pace until he finally stops and stands still with clenched fists. The only sounds in the dark tunnel are my sobs and his heavy breathing.

Suddenly he grabs me, pulls me against his chest and just holds me tight. I don't know what to say, I can't even think straight. I feel his heart hammering against my chest, I feel the trembling in his muscles, his ragged breaths.

"I'm sorry," I sob, my voice barely above a whisper. How is it even possible to love someone this much that it actually and truly hurts?

"Stay with me tonight," he whispers. "To hell with the fucking rules. Stay with me till tomorrow, Mel."

I nod against his chest when I clearly hear the one word he will never say out loud. 'Please'. I can't refuse him. I will never ever refuse him. He runs his fingers through my hair and makes me look at him. His eyes soften and he even smiles while his eyes roam over my face.

"You look like a wet kitten, Cupcake." I cannot help but laugh at his remark, but my laugh ends in another sob, and he kisses me gently. "You have clothes in the dorm, right?" he asks me. I nod again as I dry my tears with his shirt. "Go freshen up, get some clothes for tomorrow and go to my apartment." He searches in his pocket and pulls out his key card. "I'll meet you there in a while, okay?"

I clear my throat and swallow hard. "Okay. Where are you going?"

"I can't leave the party without noticing the others. Max will have my head on a stake."

I'm about to say something when his phone beeps. Of course…

He pulls me closer while reading the message on his phone and I can hear and feel him swear. "I have to go. Uriah started a fight in the middle of the Pit. Come."

He takes my hand and our fingers entwine as we quickly make our way back towards the Pit. He stops in front of the tunnel that leads to the dorm and his lips crash onto mine. "See you in a bit."

And with that he turns and leaves just when the siren of the fire alarm goes off.

The piercing sound reminds me of my bleeding heart and screaming soul.

I will never poke the Big Bad Wolf with a stick again…


	15. Chapter 15

**It's Monday again and that means another Darcy & Riley chapter for you. Thank you for still liking our little story :D**

 **Enjoy and see you on Thursday, muffins. xoxox**

* * *

 **Riley**

I don't think I've ever climaxed so hard in my life. Darcy and I fall asleep together, sticky from our sweat. I'm holding her tight with my face buried in her hair.

A couple hours later I wake to a sound. I open my eyes and see Darcy. For a small moment I thought I dreamt it all. Her naked in my bed. The sounds she made. The way she said my name that did me in. But now there's a different sound coming from her. I hold myself up on a forearm and look down at her as her sweet face saddens and I realize she's crying in her sleep. She doesn't say anything. Just weak, heart wrenching sobs that escape her nightmare through her lips. What is haunting her?

I trace the tip of my finger down her nose and to her lips, outlining them. Her small cries stop and her head turns to me. "Darcy." I whisper.

"Hmm." She presses her face into my neck and sleepily cuddles against me. My anxiety sky rockets suddenly. What if she wakes up and runs out of here? Doesn't talk to me for weeks.. I try to take a slow, steadying breath when I feel her hand touch my chest and slide up my neck stopping at–yes, my beard. "Riley? Are you okay? Do you want me to leave?"

"No." I say it far too quickly and she sits up. Shit.

"What time is it?" She pulls the sheet up around her and looks around tiredly, her hair is a beautiful disarray of knotted threads that tangle into each other. She looks like she's been thoroughly fucked and that instills a certain grounding within me. Accomplishment and the aspiration to do it again.

I grab my watch off the nightstand and look, "It's 4am." I mumble.

"Damn it." She starts to move towards the edge of the bed but I grab her and pull her back.

"Don't go yet." My lips touch her back and she looks over her shoulder.

"I've got to get back to the dormitory. And no one can know about this." She says. "Not Melanie and certainly not Eric… he doesn't need this kind of ammunition against me."

"Trust me, if Eric goes there I think I can knock him down equally as hard with his own shit." I kiss her skin and smile at the goosebumps that spread across it.

"I don't want to take my chances." She says softly, "I can't have Max breathing down my neck."

"I'm the only one I want breathing down your neck." I whisper as I pull her just a little closer.

"Riley," She laughs shortly and her hands grab my arm wrapped around her, "I'm serious."

"I know you are. And I'm serious too." She lets me pull her back down and I roll on top of her. She looks up at me and the moonlight through the window shows me her smile. "I won't tell anyone." Though I want to tell everyone. I've never felt so gleefully childish.

Darcy lets me waste another twenty minutes of her precious time between my sheets then I watch her sitting on the edge of my bed. She pulls her underwear on and sits back down to comb her fingers through her hair. I watch her put her tank top on and then look for her pajama shorts. As she wanders around my room I can't wipe the grin off my face. I'm not even going to try.

* * *

 **Darcy**

"Maybe they're in the living room." He says, I blush. I had tried to leave last night but I didn't even make it to the door. He's right. They're on the television. Where he threw them. I turn around after pulling my shorts up and see him in the bedroom doorway wearing sweatpants. I shamelessly stare at his body. The tattoos. The muscles. The scars. The Riley's beard. He holds his arms out and nods for me to come over for a hug and I narrow my eyes.

"Nuh-uh, that's…" I sidestep around the couch shaking a finger at him, "You got me last night. I'm not falling for that again." I smile as I move towards the door.

"Darcy, you're not leaving here yet." He says in a low tone. He looks angry, but he's not. I bolt for the door, but I don't even touch the handle before Riley sweeps me off my feet and spins me around. I scream with laughter and cover my mouth. When he lets my feet touch the floor again I turn and look up at him. He leans down and I stand on my toes to kiss him deeply. He whispers, "They leave for the choosing ceremony at noon. You will come with me to the net to greet the other initiates."

"Okay." I nod and he presses his lips to my forehead then walks me to the door. He looks out into the hall first and then lets me leave. Do I want to tell Melanie? Of course I do. She's become my closest friend. But in my gut I feel like this needs to be quiet. My sensitive conscience is walking a tightrope right now and I'm so scared of plunging back into my pit of despair.

I walk down the stairwell quickly, what am I going to tell Melanie? I… sleepwalked? I'm trying to come up with a good lie when I walk into the dormitory and see that her bed is empty. Untouched. Maybe she went to her family apartment last night. I am relieved as I climb into my bed and close my eyes. My cheeks burn with the image of Riley above me. His rounded shoulders and tattoos. God he felt good. But how long will that last? Fuck. The voice in my head muses at me as my conscience wobbles on it's tightrope trying to use my self-esteem as a balancing pole. My mind begins to wander around in a muck of questions. Who has Riley been with? Who will he be with after me?

I fall asleep with that ache dully throbbing in the cavity of my chest.

* * *

I'm making my bed after I've dressed when Melanie comes through the door.

"Hey, sunshine." She smiles.

"Hey, Melanie." I say as I plump my pillow and set it back down.

"How was your night? Did you get any sleep?" She wiggles her eyebrows and I look back at my bed.

"Yeah, woke up a couple times, did you sleep at your family's apartment last night? You never came back." I look at her and she grows quiet. "What?"

"Huh? Nothing." She shakes her head. I wonder what's got her in such a weird mood suddenly.

"Wanna walk to breakfast together?"

"Uhm, no, I already ate. I'm going to go hang out with my family for a bit. I'll see you before I leave."

"Okay."

I finish tidying my area and then leave to go to breakfast. When I enter the cafeteria it's alive with excitement. Everyone is talking. I glance up at the leader's table and see Riley talking with Eric about something. I find Uriah and sit next to him. He's okay. Aside from a few bruises here and there. He is all smiles and joy.

"I'm sorry about last night." Uriah says, "I honestly only remember dancing with you and then it's blank from there on."

I giggle, "You got into a fight and I walked you to the infirmary."

"Oh, thank you."

"Are you nervous for today?" I ask.

"Not really." He shrugs as he takes a bite of toast.

We eat and then I don't know what to do so I wander out into the hallway and go to a window. It looks like such a nice day out. There aren't many clouds.

I turn my head when I see someone in my peripheral vision. It's Melanie. She smiles at me with a pitying look in her eyes. What the hell is going on with her? She hooks her arm with mine. "So did you have fun last night?" I ask.

"Yeah. I hung out with Eric for a while… Well really we were arguing for a minute." She laughs gently and I like her smile when she talks about Eric. She's in love and it's cute. I'm happy for her. I wish Riley looked like that about me. "What about you?"

"I danced with Uriah for a while–He got into a fight." I snort with laughter, "I'm not sure what about, but I walked him to the infirmary and he says he doesn't remember that part."

"So then you just went back to the dormitory?" She asks.

"Uh, yeah." I nod and look forward. "I hope you are going to tell me how the ceremony goes, seeing how I don't get to go." I tilt my head to get her to look at me. She's looking down with that confused expression again.

"Of course I will." She smiles.

Melanie and I walk around for a bit until we meet up with the rest of the initiates outside waiting for the train. She gives me a quick hug and then jogs over to where Gunner and Eric are.

Riley and I stand there and watch the Dauntless-born run with the train and one by one they board it. I look at him, he's quiet in his thoughts.

"There they go." I say.

"Some of them won't be coming back." His eyes are still on the train and I wonder if he's thinking about friends of his that didn't come back.

"You.. you watched friends deflect, didn't you?" I whisper.

"A few." He nods. "I don't know what's become of them now."

I look back to the shrinking train. "They're probably happy, Riley."

He doesn't say anything but nods subtly before turning and going back for the door. I follow after him, "Now what?"

"Well.. We have 'til six for their return. I have some paperwork to do. You can come with me to the office."

"Is Max there?" I ask quietly.

"No, Max left this morning to go help with the choosing ceremony prep."

"Oh good.." I sigh, Max has become someone I don't want to have to be within ten feet of.

"You scared of Max?" Riley looks at me from the side and I look away.

"Maybe a little." I say.

"He's not that scary." he says. I don't say anything. Max is scary to me because he'll toss me out on my ass. We get to the office and I watch him reach in his pocket and get his keys out. The muscles in his arms flex gently.

As Riley sits at his desk and starts filing through papers, signing things and occasionally typing something on the computer I look around at the different things on the walls.

"Does Max have a family?" I ask.

"Mm.. he had a wife but she passed a few years back. And I think he had a daughter."

"Did she leave?"

"I think so." Riley nods as his eyes skim the computer screen. "Why?"

"Just wondering." I look at Eric's desk and a small shiver runs through me. I wonder why he's so mean. "Riley, have you ever been married?"

"No." He opens a file and starts reading back and forth between the paper and the computer.

"Why?"

"I just… never did." He shrugs. "I came close once a few years back, but it didn't work out."

"Came close?"

"I was going to ask her to marry me, but I walked in on her fucking a dude from the guardsmen. Kind of broke that deal for me." He chuckles but I think I hear a hint of bitterness. I wonder what her name was. I want to ask but something tells me I shouldn't. It's not my business.

"So you were in love with her then." I say, my Candor showing more than it should. I walk around Eric's desk looking at how everything is so orderly. Fuckin' neat freak.

"I thought I was." He says, "But the lack of emotion I had when I found her cheating confirmed that I wasn't."

"Hm.." I nod as I nudge Eric's stapler with my knuckle so it is slightly crooked. I look back at Riley, he's smirking. "What? Eric needs a little disorder in his life."

"As if he doesn't have enough with Melanie?" Riley laughs and I smile down at the desk. "That poor bastard." I agree with him, but I don't say it. Eric needs a butt whooping and Melanie is just the girl to give it to him. "Come here." Riley says and I leisurely cross the room and stop in front of his desk.

He turns his chair sideways and nods so I walk around and stand in front of him. He holds his hands up to me and I set mine in his. He pulls me down onto his lap and turns back to his computer. I wrap my right arm around his neck and sit sideways on his lap staring down at his fingers typing on the keyboard. I slowly comb the back of his hair with my fingers. I bring my other hand up and trace his ear with my fingertip, he closes his eyes for a moment and then continues typing.

My mind wanders back to his almost fiance. I wonder what she looked like. I bet she was pretty and funny. Riley works away and eventually he leans back into his chair and I position myself so that I'm facing him on his lap. I rest my head on his shoulder and almost feel like a lazy cat sleeping on it's human. The thought makes me giggle.

"Hm?" Riley asks.

"Nothing." I whisper. His lips touch my neck and I turn my head to look at him. His eyes catch mine and seem to pull me toward him until our lips meet. It truly scares me when the air between us thickens like this. His arms clamp down around me and wrap my arms around his neck. I have to turn my head to catch my breath and he laughs against my neck.

I turn back and his eyes look into mine, he looks content but there's something else there. An edge that I can't put a name to. "Are you worried about something?"

"Usually."

"What are you worried about?"

"It varies every day." He whispers, his eyes slide back to the screen and he begins typing again.

"What is it today?"

"How many transfers we'll get. How many Dauntless-born we will lose." He mumbles.

My eyes wander away and I stand up off his lap. "I think quality matters over quantity." I drag my fingertip along the edge of his desk. "No point in having a hundred people that can't do a job right if it only takes one." Suddenly I don't feel like talking anymore. I look at Riley as he types and I don't know him. I don't know him enough to have this kind of relationship with him and for the briefest second I don't trust him. "Riley… I'm bored, can I go for a walk?"

"Sure. Just don't blow anything up." He smiles.

"I won't." I smile back weakly and head for the door. This is one of my problems I face with myself. When I don't know someone the way I think I should know them and I feel I've gotten to comfortable with them I tend to push them away until I can reevaluate the connection we have. Which is why I haven't connected with very many people in my life. My father never told me about relationships. Whether it was because I was too young at the time to understand or maybe he didn't know where to start. Sometimes he'd look at me with the most worried look on his face but it would quickly morph into a reassuring smile. The connection between Riley and I can't possibly be anything serious because it seems to have developed too quickly. Therefor, it cannot be something valid enough for me to consider him to be a vital part of my life.

My parents fought a lot and I guess I just don't really know how to keep that bridge from swaying if I have someone I care about. Do I care about Riley though? I'm not sure. I watch my feet as I walk. He could just be in a bored episode and using me for entertainment. But at the same time I don't think he'd do that. I sigh heavily and want to bang my head against the wall to silence my thoughts. If Riley knew everything I was thinking right now he'd probably never talk to me again.

* * *

 **Riley**

I watch her leave the office and this strange feeling overcomes me. Something is bothering her and she's trying to get some distance from me. I don't like that. Why can't she hang on my every word like Melanie does with Eric? What is so fuckin' great about Eric! Yeah, sure, he has nice hair but he's a fuckin' dick. I hate that Melanie puts Eric on a god damn pedestal like he's a fucking gift to the human race. I put my face down on my desk. I don't give a shit about Eric. I just want Darcy to cling to me and want me.

I sigh and realize all this thinking about her is making me really angry. I'm not angry if she's with me. I get up from my desk, leaving my work behind and go to find her. But I stop at the door. What am I doing? I look back at my desk. I have work to do. I look back to the door. I can't figure out my priorities. Oh fuck it. I can finish that shit later. I walk out into the hallway and look around. Which way would she have gone?

I go with my gut and twenty minutes later I find her on the roof where I brought her when she was high. She's sitting on the ledge looking out. Her hair is swaying in the breeze.

"I hope you're not planning to jump." I say as I approach her.

"Not while you're looking." She smiles over her shoulder and I wrap my arms around her.

"Why so close to the edge?"

"Why not?" She whispers.

"You might fall."

"I might not." She says. I want to kiss her neck and run my fingers through hair. But I refrain.

"Let's go back to my place." I say. "I didn't eat lunch and I'm hungry."

"Alrighty." She says, I let her turn and then help her down. But I can't unwrap my arms from her. I'm just staring down at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Nothing I know about anyway.

"Well let's go." She tries to smile and I nod. If I kiss her here I'm sure there will be a camera that gets it. I let her go and we walk towards the door. One of these days I'm going to kiss her wherever I damn well please.

We get back to my apartment and she sits at the breakfast bar while I cook. "Riley, did you ever think about leaving?" She asks.

"No." I say.

"You never ever considered going to a different faction?"

"Why would I?" I ask.

"I don't know." she says quietly. "I was just thinking. If I hadn't fucked up and done all that stupid shit I'd be at Erudite."

"You didn't even take the aptitude test." I say.

"I don't have to take it to know where I belong." She says. "Anyway, I wouldn't be here. You and I wouldn't be talking right now…" as she continues it's as if it's almost real. Like any moment I'll turn around and she won't be there. She'll be something I dreamt up. I look at her over my shoulder. "…I think I'd get pretty sick of blue though."

"You'd look good in blue." I say. I think she looks best with nothing though. Great. Now I'm thinking about her naked. I stare down at the food but all I see is her skin, her small waist and her collarbone. My hands fit perfectly on both of her–

"Riley?"

"What?"

"Your food is burning."

"Shit." I switch the pan to a different burner.

* * *

 **Darcy**

I giggle as he waves at the smoke, "Darcy, will you go in my room. There's something on my bed I need." He says.

"Yeah sure." I slide off the stool and walk into his bedroom. I don't see anything on his bed. "I don't see anything on your bed!" I call over my shoulder.

"Check under the pillows." He says from the other room.

"Okay.." I mumble as I lift the pillow, nothing. I lean over and reach for the other pillow when a pair of hands gently push me. I laugh. "Oh.. I get it." I roll over and look up at him. "That was very sneaky."

He smiles down at me as he peels his shirt off. I'll never get tired of seeing his body. He undoes my pants and pulls them off in one good yank. It makes me snort with laughter. I pull my shirt off as he crawls onto the bed, one of his legs is between mine and he's looking down at me. "You know I'm not an efficient source for sustenance, right?"

"I beg to differ." he smiles and brings his lips to mine. "I'm gonna fuck you really hard. I'm going to make you scream my name." He whispers against my neck.

Not gonna lie. It scares me a little, but in an exciting way. He actually tears my panties off. Rips the material clean off me. He get's his fly undone and it's as though he's trying to hold it back but he's so excited he doesn't even get his pants off all the way before he pushes into me. A low, gravelly groan comes from his lips. His skin on mine feels hot and his energy seeps into me. He didn't put a condom on and the panic rises in me but then it disintegrates when he starts thrusting. It feels too good for me to care.

The bed is creaking louder than it did before. It rocks violently and I hear it slam against the wall. He does have me screaming his name. We are tearing at each other for an eternity, my nails dig into his back and his do the same to me. It's like every muscle in his body is bent on fucking me. His arms wrap tightly around me and his teeth close on my shoulder as he groans. His body stiffens with his last pushes until I feel his hot breath on my neck.

Now my senses start to come back to me. Shit. He pulls out and I try so hard to cling to a light and frothy outlook but we just had sex without using a condom and I'm slowly spiraling down.

Riley doesn't say anything as he collapses next to me, slides an arm under my body and pulls me to his chest. "You feel so good." he says. I don't say anything as I twirl my finger in his chest hair. The anxiety begins to rise in my chest and I push myself off of him and sit up. "What's wrong?"

"We didn't use a condom." I say quietly.

"Fuck. I'm sorry." he sits up next to me and for some reason I just don't believe he is. I pull the sheet up around me and look down as I pinch a section of it between my thumb and forefinger. He sits up next to me and pulls me into his arms. "The infirmary is dealing with pipe leak and are only taking emergencies' today, but we can go tomorrow. They have a shot you can get." He tips my chin up so I look him in the eyes. "Don't worry, alright? I'll take care of you." He brushes his lips on mine and we kiss. We spend time lying in his bed kissing and holding each other. It's relaxing. After a couple hours of talking, he looks at his watch and tells me we need to get ready to go to the net.

I walk into his bathroom and start the shower while Riley goes to the kitchen to get a snack. I smile to myself. He still hadn't eaten his burnt food. The water is hot and soothes my nerves as I stand in it, I hear Riley come in the bathroom and I peek out at him. He's fixing his hair in the mirror as a bagel is hanging from his mouth. He sees me in the mirror and winks. I smile honestly as he walks over to me. "Four just called me, I need to get down to the net. You can just come down there when you're finished here." he holds his bagel for me to take a bite then kisses my forehead before going.

I use his shampoo and soap. It smells like him and makes me feel warm inside. When I get out of the shower I dry and get dressed. I comb my fingers through my damp hair as I walk down to the net. When I enter I see Riley immediately. He's talking to Four. Four gazes up at me and a stern look in his eyes makes me walk rigidly. Is he mad at me for something?

I stand next to Riley as we wait. "You smell… familiar." He mumbles as he writes something on the clipboard he's holding.

"Oh yeah?" I glance at him from the side.

"Yeah." He looks up like he's thinking about something, "You smell charming and handsome."

I laugh quietly, "Very." I whisper. I look over and see Four watching us from near the net. I try to wipe the smile off my face. It's difficult. I wave at Four and his expression softens as he waves back stiffly. He seems confused by it.

When initiates start dropping through the hole in the ceiling Four retrieves them from the net. He says their name and Riley writes it down on the clipboard. The first jumper is an Abnegation girl named Tris. She looks sweet and kind. And completely out of place.

"A fuckin' stiff." I hear Riley murmur as he shakes his head.

"Peter!" Four calls out and my eyes snap to the boy climbing out of the net.

"Peter." I step forward and he looks over at me. "Peter?"

"Darcy?"

I can't believe it, I bolt forward and launch myself into his arms and he spins me around. "Oh my god, Peter! You're here!" I laugh. "You're here, why are you here?"

"Candor got boring." He laughs. "I didn't know you were here." He beams up at me still in his arms. I've known Peter since we were toddlers. Our parents were friends and neighbors years and years ago. My feet touch the ground and I look up at him still shocked that he's standing in front of me.

We laugh as we look each other over, I point at him "How the fuck are you?" I smile.

"I'm fuckin' good." He holds his arms out and then points to me. "How the fuck are you?"

"I'm fuckin' good." I chirp holding my arms out. It's something we've done for years. I wouldn't expect anyone else to understand it. I'm so much better now. I hug him again and his arms wrap around me. I haven't seen him in months. I'd been in so much trouble and wasn't even going to school.

He tells me about things in Candor as we walk away from the net. "You'll never believe who came too." Peter smirks. "Christina."

"What? No way." I laugh. "She chose Dauntless?"

"Yeah, can you believe it?" He laughs, "And did you get a load of the stiff? They're already friends." I look over for the girl in gray and sure enough Christina is standing next to her. She and I haven't always gotten along but we don't fight either. It's a weird, quiet thing between her and I. I see Riley walking over to them.

He says something and Christina smiles at him. I've seen her smile before and it's captivating. He's asking her a question and writing something down. They start talking and flirting while initiates are mingling for a few minutes. Riley smiles at her and I feel a little sick. I want him to look at me like that. What is this? I stare down at the floor trying to figure out this anger–this new anger inside me. I've never been jealous before. I look back at Riley and realize my mistake.

I'm attached to him.

Fuck. I'm an idiot.

The transfers change clothes and we all head to the cafeteria for dinner. When I see Melanie I wave her over and she sits down next to me. "Melanie, this is Peter. Peter this is Melanie." Peter holds his hand out and smiles.

"What's up?" She nods ignoring his hand. He drops it and grabs his fork. What's her deal? She looks at me, "Did you get a load of the stiff?" And I start laughing. Melanie and Peter start talking about training and they get along quite well. I glance up to the leader table and freeze. Eric is staring down at us. I swallow dryly. That's why Melanie didn't shake Peter's hand. I look for Riley but he's not there.

* * *

As I'm sitting on my bed staring at the ceiling, I overhear Christina and Tris talking about Riley. I'm bothered that Christina has chosen the bed where Melanie slept before, but whatever. "He was pretty scary looking." Tris says.

"He's a babe." Christina says, "I wonder if he's married or has a girlfriend.. honestly I wouldn't care." She giggles. I roll my eyes and prop myself up on an elbow.

"Riley?" I hear myself ask and Christina looks at me. "Yeah.. I heard he prefers men." I smile a tight lipped grin at her sudden silence. "But.. I mean, who knows right?"

I lie back down and turn towards the wall as the lights go out.


	16. Chapter 16

**Happy Thursday Birthday to my youngest son! I have a busy day ahead so that's why I decided to post this chapter in the wee hours of the night.**

 **Thank you for your reviews and PMs. Remember that I will always answer you.**

 **So here's yet another chapter about Melanie and Eric. Their last chapter and this one kind of set the tone for the following few so brace yourselves for some hefty drama because Eric is going to be his wonderful self once again after this one. See you all on Monday! xoxox**

* * *

 **Melanie**

The sun rises in red and orange hues scattered with pink and violet in a cloudless blue sky. The silence of this early morning scene takes me in and makes me feel at peace with myself. The second I sigh deeply Eric tightens his arms around me and places his chin on my head.

"You're okay?" he whispers.

I just hum, not wanting to break the spell of the moment. I never actually took the time and watched the sun rise. I'm either still asleep or too busy trying not to fall asleep while listening to the droning of some boring school teacher.

Watching all of the magnificent colours makes me realise that I have missed a lot in a life spent mostly underground.

"Let's get some breakfast, Cupcake," Eric yawns, and I answer him with a yawn of my own. He releases me and stretches lazily, and I already miss his warmth and touch. "And coffee... lots of coffee."

I smile up at him and take his hand in mine. "You're not a morning person, are you?"

He smirks, then shrugs. "I'm usually wide awake at six, but only after a good night's rest."

"And who's to blame for that?" I grin.

He raises his pierced eyebrow and his smirk becomes delightfully devilish. "You, for starters. And then there was Riley, trying to smash his bed through the wall. I hope he tore that little witch in half."

"Eric, that's my friend you're talking about! Manners!" I chastise him even though I can't contain my laughter. I'm happy for Darcy, and for myself. I can only hope the poor girl can still walk after last night.

Eric opens the door to his bedroom for me and I duck underneath his outstretched arm, only to be slapped on the ass as I pass him.

"Don't!" I warn him while pointing a finger at him. "That spanking you gave has traumatised me. Scarred for life, I tell you!"

He slaps my ass again and I yelp. "Didn't hear you complain when I spanked your ass last night. Quite the opposite, actually."

God, he's so full of himself!

But I keep my mouth wisely shut. With our fight and his attempt on Jace's life still too fresh on my mind, I'll do about anything to keep him in a good mood. We still need to have that talk, but I don't know how to bring it up. I'm not even sure I want to.

I follow him into the kitchen and he lifts me up effortlessly and places me on the counter before he busies himself making coffee and a light breakfast for us, consisting of cereals, yoghurt with fresh fruit, and soft boiled eggs.

It is strange, watching him doing normal things ordinary people do on a daily basis – things one would never expect a man like Eric would do.

He is quiet while he works methodically. Every now and then he looks at me or pauses for a kiss, but other than that he isn't overly touchy-feely, but calm and completely at ease with me being in his domain.

I eat what he serves, and he leans against my legs while wolfing down his own breakfast.

"Nervous for this afternoon?" he asks me after he comes to stand between my legs, handing me a mug of coffee.

I shake my head and wrap my fingers around the warm ceramic cup. "No, not really. I've been to Gunner's choosing ceremony so I know what to expect. I'm just curious if any of the Dauntless-born will deflect."

"If they do then they didn't belong here in the first place," he shrugs. "Good riddance."

"What would you do if I transferred to another faction?"

His eyes lock with mine and I see nothing but the truth when he answers me in an even tone, "I would shoot you on sight."

Damn... I shallow hard, not knowing what to think about his statement. It's kind of… unexpected. And harsh. "Why?"

His eyes don't leave mine and I find that I can't look away even though I want to. He's got me trapped like a mouse gazing into a snake's eyes. He doesn't even blink, and that is what scares me the most. He hardly blinked when he was about to strangle me last night – or when he went after Jace.

"I can promise you a clean and quick death, unlike your mother. If you were to transfer, she would hunt you down, Mel, you know she would."

He has a point. My mother would lead the witch hunt, pitch forks and torches – the whole shebang.

"So, you killing me on sight would be your way of telling me that you like and respect me enough to grant me a clean and quick death?" He doesn't answer me. He just stands there, sipping his black coffee while looking at me over his cup. Focused cold eyes, his face hard and emotionless as always. "You wouldn't feel any remorse, any guilt for killing me? You would feel nothing? Is that what you are trying to tell me?"

He blinks slowly and a smirk forms on his face as if I just told him some corny joke. "It's fascinating how the female mind works. Always reading between the lines, assuming things, and then replacing the truth with their own assumptions."

"That's because the female brain is always at least two steps ahead of the male brain," I snap, anger suddenly igniting in me. "You do realise that the so-called myth that men can't think the moment their dicks get hard is in fact the truth, right?"

His smirk turns into a lopsided grin that infuriates me further and he speaks lazily, "I love it when you get angry, Melanie. It fucking turns me on."

"So Darcy was telling the truth when she said that our fight sounded more like foreplay? You attacking Jace was just your way of telling me that you wanted to fuck me?" I all but shout at him.

Eric remains calm. "I'm the only one who should touch you."

I place the mug beside me on the counter, cross my arms, and tug my clenched fists in my armpits, preventing myself from launching myself at him and scratching his fucking eyes out. "Oh, it was merely a 'Property-Of' situation? You, Eric, felt threatened by an eighteen-year old kid who has been my friend since we were toddlers? Yeah, right."

He sets his mug down next to mine and places his hands on either side of me, capturing me without a touch. He doesn't have to touch me; his towering presence is intimidating enough as it is.

"Maybe you didn't hear me," he says quietly – too quietly – while his eyes sink into a truly malicious glare. "No one touches you except me."

I don't cower nor do I cringe. If I show him any sign of weakness or fear, he will tear me apart with his bare hands – literally. "And why is that?"

"Because you're mine, Mel." He tilts his head forward, making his gaze all that more heavier.

A shiver runs down and up my spine at the possessiveness in his voice. Then the corners of my mouth twitch upwards and a sly smile appears on my face when I realise what he is telling me. "Oh, am I?"

His eyes grow darker as he slowly leans closer. "Always have been, and always will be."

This is the moment. "And are you mine?" He raises his eyebrow and gives me an amused look before he hums. I'll take that as a yes. I lean backwards, feeling mighty pleased with myself. I now know where I stand with him – and it is exactly where I've hoped I would be. "And what about the law that says that leaders aren't allowed to be romantically involved with initiates?"

Eric tilts his head towards the crook of my neck. I can already feel the ghost of his lips on my skin, and instinctively I pull my shoulder up even though the gravitational pull is exceptional and rapidly becoming hard to resist. He cocks his head to the other side and my other shoulder shoots up, and I'm positive that I look like a turtle.

"Who said anything about romantic?" he murmurs. "I just want to fuck you whenever and wherever I please, sexy."

And we're back at being King Asshole the Turd again…

He captures my wrist before my hand can connect with his face.

"So fucking hot," he growls. He catches my other hand without even breaking eye-contact.

"You really know how to make a girl feel special, don't you?" I hiss while struggling to free myself from his vice-like grip. It's no use, he pulls my arms down and locks them behind my back.

He chuckles. "I have my moments, yes."

"Twice yesterday, if I remember correctly," I smirk before I snap my head towards him to deliver the mother of all headbutts. He simply dodges the assault, then pushes the backs of my hands up to bend my wrists uncomfortably. I bite back a cry when a sharp pain courses through my arms and shoulders.

"Temporarily loss of sanity," he lifts his eyebrows and looks at me lightly. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Are you done?"

"With what?"

"Trying to hurt my feelings?"

"I just started," he grins mischievously, but he releases me and places his hands on my thighs.

I rub my throbbing wrists and shoulders while trying me best not to dwell on the lingering pain caused by his harsh words.

Maybe I am a fool for loving this man, and for letting him into my heart and for trusting him, because I can still hear Riley's warning, I can still see the smouldering embers of rage in Eric's eyes. But I do love him, despite knowing the person that he is. I know what I signed up for.

"So, where do we go from here?" I ask him.

He studies me for a long moment before he shrugs coolly. "Wherever the road takes us."

"Together?"

He rolls his eyes, then cups my face. "For fuck sake, just read between the fuckin' lines, woman," he growls against my lips.

* * *

Excitement and adrenaline rush through me and give me wings as I run with the other initiates towards the train tracks.

I pump my arms faster and pick up speed till I'm right behind Eric and Gunner. Whoops and laughter and shouts surround me, wrapping me tightly into a warm blanket, and I swear that I've never felt so freakin' happy before in my life.

The sun is already setting, but I don't feel the April cold or the cut in my hand as I climb the rusty beams and pull myself up onto the small platform.

I look between Eric and Gunner, and the three of us share a moment when we start grinning at each other. I don't know who looks more proud: my own brother or the bastard I love.

When Marcus Eaton had called me to the stage, both Eric and Gunner had glared at me while opening their jackets and showing me their guns strapped beneath their armpits. I almost ran screaming towards the five bowls and the head of the city council.

They didn't have to carry out their threat, of course. I would never leave my home. Dauntless is where I belong.

The horn of the approaching train sounds before it glides towards us with flashing headlights.

We begin to run alongside it to match its speed and Eric is the first to board, closely followed by Gunner. I reach out, grab the handle beside the door and throw myself inside the car, quickly making room for the others behind me, but then Eric taps the button next to the door and close it.

"Almost home, Cupcake," Eric smirks when his hand 'accidentally' brushes against mine.

"There's no place like home," I grin back, and his eyes soften for a sweet moment when he flashes me a genuine warm smile. I get the feeling that he wants to see something when he holds my gaze, but then Uriah demands our attention when he enters the car with a mighty roar.

Almost the entire car erupts in more whoops and laughter, and I contribute my part while pumping my fists in the air.

I lose my balance and collide against Eric's hard chest and he grabs my hips and squeezes them. My abs tighten as heat settles in my belly and my cheeks when he smirks at me with darkening eyes.

I quickly step back and grab the nearest pole to steady myself and to stop the floodgates from opening between my legs. I can't believe he refused to take another shower after our little session in the kitchen, claiming that he loves smelling like me. I think I'll be needing surgery in the near future to straighten my toes.

Gunner hasn't noticed anything; he has his eyes on the rowdy bunch of Dauntless-born who are acting like they're one step away from throwing a spontaneous party. "Shut the fuck up! What's wrong with you people?!" he bellows.

"We're Dauntless, man!" Someone shouts from the back of the car, and I roll my eyes when the cheering starts once more.

"No, you're not anymore!" Gunner shouts, and the noise dies down abruptly. "You're Dauntless-born wannabees till initiation ends. Anyone of you can end up factionless before the end of July. You better calm the fuck down, fucking wannabees," my brother growls, flatlining the mood without any sign of remorse.

I mean, Damn! Talking about a killjoy!

Eric begins to chuckle and the sound is just downright sinister in the now quiet car. "Get ready to jump, bitches," he says gleefully, and I can't suppress a shudder when I realise that initiation has truly begun. Victory or death…

The roaring wind in the car is deafening and almost like a living creature when the doors slide open.

Eric pulls me against him when people begin to peep outside of the car and quickly presses his lips against my neck. "Can't wait to fuck you again, Cupcake," he breathes in my ear while squeezing my ass. "Tonight after dinner."

I quickly suck my lips in and cough to cover up my happy squeal while glancing nervously at my brother who has his back turned to us.

Eric is most definitively playing with fire – and it fucking turns me on.

The next moment he is out of the riding train, quickly followed by Gunner and a few of the older Dauntless-born who has accompanied us.

I take a deep breath and launch myself out of the car next, screaming with laughter as I fly through the air.

I land on the rooftop after a perfect somersault and come to a standstill with my feet firmly on the gravel.

I look around to see if I can find my parents, but they aren't amongst the Dauntless-born that are with Max. I try not to feel disappointment – and fail miserably. Uriah, Zeke and Marlene pull me into a group hug, with Lynn smirking coolly from a safe distance. Jace doesn't even want to look me in the eye and I suspect that Eric is glaring at him behind my back. Only two Dauntless-born are not here; both deflected to Candor.

I already forgotten their names and faces…

"Look at the Stiff," someone snickers, and I turn to look as the grey dove walks towards us with a limp.

I look her up and down, then shake my head. "I bet she panicked and accidentally let her blood drip in the wrong bowl," I snorts, and we begin to laugh.

Five minutes later the Stiff is the first one to jump of the rooftop… well, shit!

* * *

Every thrust causes a shockwave of pleasure that vibrates through my body and soul.

This mindblowing sensation is the only purpose of existence; the sounds we're making hold the true meaning of life. And, oh my fucking fuck, his cock is turning me in some goddamn poetry-loving pansy! I arch my back and try to meet his thrusts while my entire being is screaming for release, but Eric refuses to hand over an inkling of control as he fucks me into oblivion. I gasp when the tension becomes unbearable, only to scream when an earth-shattering climax makes me shudder and writhe beneath him.  
He tightens his grip on my hips and begins to thrust faster, and broken strings of obscenities escape his lips alongside sharp intakes of breath until he slows down and comes inside me with a long moan.

He pulls me against him and covers us with his comforter. I lay my head on his chest and just listen to his heartbeat while we bask in the afterglow. "I understand now why you were so determined to record my voice with your phone," I giggle.

His laugh sounds like rolling thunder in his chest. "Best ringtone ever. You should call me sometime when I'm in a faction leader meeting in the Hub or something."

We laugh and joke about it for a while until it is time for me to head back to the dorm. I quickly get dressed while Eric is watching me from his bed.

I sit down beside him on the edge and pull on my boots. "Wish I could stay," I pout.

He runs his fingers through my hair and smirks. "Soon, Mel. You can stay with me on Sunday."

I lean back and tilt my head towards him, and he captures my mouth with his in a kiss. "Yeah, I already thought about that."

He chuckles softly. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Because you like me," I begin to sing like a ten-year old brat, "You wanna kiss me, you wanna- "

"Fuck you, yes," he interrupts, laughing. I love to make him laugh. He should do it more often. "Get your ass back to the dorm, initiate. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

I stand up and stretch lazily. "Oh, before I forget. Apparently Darcy wasn't with Riley last night."

Eric shrugs with a bored look on his face. "So?"

"I think he's already cheating on her."

"Stay out of it, Mel, I'm serious," he warms me, pointing a finger at me.

"But- "

"But nothing. It's none of your business, Buttercups." He gets out of bed and begins to push me out of his bedroom. Subtle… "I'm serious, Mel, before it blows up in your face and I end up having to get rid of a body. No."

"Okay," I sigh. _As if…_


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello, Muffins. This chapter heralds the true drama for our girls and their men. Everybody is yelling and fighting and Darcy is losing it again... sigh... heavy stuff...**

 **Rated R for angst and smut.**

 **"Enjoy', and please leave a review. Seeyou on Thursday.**

* * *

 **Riley**

I'm just taking a sip of my coffee when Melanie comes in the office seething mad. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She yells. I'm so taken back that I spill hot coffee down my front. I stand up out of my chair staring down at myself as if that'll stop the burning, I glare at her.

"Fuck!" I growl, "What?!"

"You were with a dude last night?" She shakes her head and I start shaking my head with the same confused look on my face that she has on hers.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I snap.

"I thought you were with Darcy, everyone is saying you're banging a dude. That's fuckin' cold, man! Polar bear cold!"

She's walking towards me and it's like another Melody. I have a spike of fear go through me as her eyes bore into me and I stumble backwards into my chair as she throws a finger up in my face. "What are you fucking trying to do to her? You'll only hurt her!" Eric is a braver man than I thought.

"WHAT THE FUCK I'M NOT GAY!" I roar, "I wasn't with a dude! And stop yelling at me!"

"Then you were with Darcy?" Her face lightens and it's a complete turn around just like her mother.

"No." I say clearly and she comes towards me again, I stagger backwards again knocking shit off my desk.

"How dare you." She snaps.

"How dare me? How dare you!" I regain my balance and stand tall. "You don't tell me what to do. You–" I point to the door. "Get out. You little, angry thing! Before I dock your points, initiate!"

"Riley!" She growls and I clamp my hands on her arms and physically pick her up, carry her to the door and set her out in the hall then slam the door shut. WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!

* * *

 **Darcy**

Our morning starts off with Four turning the lights on and telling us to get up. Fuck. No, Four, go away.

I'm pretty much asleep at the table at breakfast so I don't even get a bite of toast when Four calls us out. I drag my feet as we enter the Arena and am tempted to just lie down on the floor and go to sleep. Four would probably kick me in the head though. I see Riley standing watching as we all enter. We stand in front of them and Four is explaining something, but I swear to god I can't hear anything my ears are asleep.

"Darcy, time to wake up!" Four snaps and I open my eyes.

"Sorry." I mumble. I look at Riley and he's fucking glaring at me. I look back to Four, "Sir."

Four has us run. He has us doing exercises. I'm exhausted when he finally instructs us on a few things and then has us go to the punching bags and start practicing. I punch the bag wondering what Riley was glaring at me for earlier. I look over my shoulder and find him. He's glaring at everyone. He just looks straight pissed today. I turn back to the bag. He's not mad at me. I haven't done anything. I turn back to the bag and I'm barely hitting it because I'm so tired. I don't think I can last much longer. Maybe if I lean against it and just take a small nap… A couple minutes won't hurt.

"I think I could give you a few pointers." I jump at the sound of Riley's voice. I look up at him.

"I don't like fighting just so you know." I say turning back to the bag. "Even though I've been in a lot of them I never enjoyed it. It was all self-defense… except for.. that time in my grammar class when I cut that girl's braid off. I started that. But she had a goofy outlook on racism in the old world. She deserved it. So fighting… not really my forte."

"That's fine. Dauntless don't have to enjoy fighting."

"But I'm not really Dauntless, am I?" I ask quietly. "Not by my own choosing."

Riley looks at me and I feel shy again, but he touches my chin and brushes his thumb across my lip. The hardness he's had in his eyes all morning softens and I see them light up in a certain way that I know what he's thinking about.

"Riley, you can't look at me like that…" I whisper gently pulling my face away from his touch and hit the bag again.

"Like what?" He whispers.

"Like… like you've seen me naked." I whisper as I look around.

"I have seen you naked." I can hear the grin in his tone, I don't have to look at him.

"And like you want me naked."

"I can't help it. I always want you naked." He steps up right behind me and grabs my wrists positioning them and whispers in my ear. "Come on, lets go fool around somewhere."

"I can't. Four will notice if I'm gone and you're gone." I hiss.

"And I would care about what Four thinks why?" He laughs quietly. I guess he has a point. He's the leader here not Four. He checks his watch, "I guess we only have another twenty minutes until lunch." he sighs. "Come to my place, I'll make you something to eat."

"You should go pay attention to others." I whisper.

"I see how it is." He sniffs, "Gettin' sick of me hm?" He smiles at me as he walks away.

"Never." I turn back to the bag.

Four has us finish up and Peter walks over to me, he's sweating but smiling.

"Hey sweaty," he says as he drapes his arm over my shoulders, "tired?"

"Yeah." I smile and wrap my arm around Peter's waist and run my other hand through my damp hair. I really am sweaty.

"Whew, you stink." Peter laughs, "Wait… no that's me." I laugh at him as we walk towards the door. I split from Peter before we reach the cafeteria. I tell him I've got to go to the restroom. Then I make my way upstairs.

I knock on Riley's door and it opens, he looks down at me. He's mad about something again. I follow him inside and into the kitchen. He opens the fridge, grabs a beer and I pull myself onto the counter and watch him. I look at the two empty beer bottles on the counter with the bottle opener. He's already drank them that fast?

"What's wrong?" I ask. He ignores the bottle opener and fucking twists off the cap with his hand. Okay. He really must be mad. I couldn't do that if I wanted.

"Someone started a fucking rumor that I'm gay." He says. He shakes his head as he takes a long gulp from the beer in his hand and I snort with laughter. I laugh so hard I almost fall off the counter. "How is that funny?" He asks. I'm still struggling to breathe as I point to myself.

"I did that." I gasp. "I didn't think it would spread!"

"What?!" Riley snaps and I don't care if he's glaring, I can't stop laughing. It hurts. Riley slams his beer on the counter and crosses the kitchen. He looks at me like I've lost my damn mind and right now I have.

"You're unbelievable. Why did you do that?!" he snaps and I bite my lip and shrug.

"I… Don't like Christina. You can do better than that." I giggle, "Maybe… Edward." I squeak trying to hold in my laugh. He rolls his eyes and growls then looks down at me.

"You think you're real funny, hm?" His hands grab my hips and he pulls me to the edge of the counter making my legs open. I cover my mouth because I'm struggling to keep it in as I nod. It's too funny. He's so mad.

"You dirty little liar." He whispers low. I pout my bottom lip as his arms wrap around me tight.

"Oh come now, grumpy bear, it was just a little fib. Not really even a lie." I wrap my arms around his neck, "My pants aren't on fire yet."

"They should be." He raises his eyebrows and touches his nose to mine. I can feel his warm breath on my lips and I look in his eyes as I kiss him slowly. His tongue pushes past my lips angrily. He growls against my lips, "Fucking gay…" as he pulls me against his body and I wrap my legs around him. He carries me into the bedroom. "Show you how gay I am." He slams the bedroom door shut.

* * *

"Say it again." He orders me. We're spooning in his bed.

"You're not gay!" I half laugh, Riley has his arms wrapped around from behind.

"And?"

"I've," I giggle again, "I've been a bad girl."

I scream with laughter and squirm trying to get away from his hands, but he pulls me back and rolls on top of me. His breath is hot on the back of my neck. "Good." His lips touch my shoulder, "Did I make it clear enough?"

I smile and whisper, "Yes." I turn around in his arms to look at him. "I'm sorry I started a rumor about you. I didn't mean for it to spread, I just wanted Christina to shut up."

"Then you should've just told her to shut up." He says as he rolls on top of me. "Melanie tried to rip my head off this morning because she though I was bangin' a dude last night."

Another wave of laughter engulfs me but is cut short when he kisses me, I still giggle against his lips.

"I'm sorry," I say between kisses. "I won't do it again, I promise."

"Better not." He kisses my chin and bites it gently.

"Riley?"

"Hm?" He hums against my collarbone.

"What's it feel like? I mean–for you, what's it feel like to have sex?" I ask. He lifts his head and I look at his messy hair.

"Without a condom? It's amazing." He whispers. "I can feel a lot. I mean.. the tip is pretty sensitive. But I can feel how warm you are." He kisses my lips, "And when you get even wetter when I'm inside you. And when you come," His eyes roll back momentarily, "I swear I can feel it in my fucking brain." I stare up at his eyes, they're a dark teal. He looks back down at me and smiles.

"And what about when you come?" I whisper. "What's that like?"

"It feels like a hot pressure that builds up the entire time and when I get to that point it's hard to hold back." He rolls back onto his side and I scoot up so my head is next to his on the pillow.

"So, it's amazing without a condom. What's it like with a condom then?"

"Still amazing." He touches my cheek briefly then runs his fingers down my back. I sit up suddenly. "What?"

"I have to go to the infirmary." I kick the blankets off and grab my clothes from the floor. "I can't believe I almost forgot."

"Want me to come with you?" He asks.

"No, it's alright. I'm going to find Melanie after." I pause as I lift my shirt and I look at Riley. He's watching me quietly. "Riley.. what…" I stop myself. I'm not sure how to ask it or even what it is I want to ask. I can ask the most raw questions but not this one. I look back to my shirt. I shouldn't ask it.

"What?"

"I was going to ask something really stupid." I pull my shirt on, shaking my head slightly.

"What was it?"

I grab my underwear and pull it on, he watches me as I get my pants. "I was gonna ask something like 'what are we' but," I roll my eyes and laugh lightly, "like, I get it. You don't have to worry."

"I don't?" He props himself up on his elbow.

"Yeah… it's fun, right? Like, friends who fuck." I hate saying it but I don't want him to worry that I'm reading too much into this even though I want to. I want to go off on some tangent in my head thinking he really likes me. But maybe this will put some ease to his worrying. "I won't ruin any other little hook ups you're looking for." It's so hard to fucking smile right now. I gotta go. "I'll see you later."

Riley

I watch her walk out of my room and I fall back on my pillow and stare up at the ceiling. What the actual fuck? That is the exact opposite of what I'm going for! I drag a hand down my face.

I walk to the office and unlock the door, I sit down at my desk and hang my head back, closing my eyes. I lift my head as Eric comes in. He looks at me and a smirk slides on to his face. "Heard you're gay." He deadpans.

"Sooo gay." I roll my eyes.

"Disgruntled admirer?" Eric asks.

"Something like that." I mumble.

"Melanie was freaking the fuck out in training. Yelling about you and–." Eric shakes his head.

"Let me guess. Darcy." I sigh.

"Yep." He looks at his desk and then touches his stapler to straighten it. I smirk inwardly. "Fuckin' told Max not to use my stapler… Anyway, she was going off about you 'cheating' on Darcy with someone else."

"How can I be cheating on Darcy when she and I aren't even a couple?" I ask. The question is screaming in my head.

"Right? I told Melanie to mind her own business. Darcy probably isn't even mentally mature enough to have a relationship."

I look up at Eric. I wish he wouldn't talk about her like that. "Yeah…" I mumble. "Probably."

* * *

 **Darcy**

After we finish our afternoon training we're excused. I start toward the door and someone steps up beside me. "You're still a liar, I see."

I look at Christina and she scowls at me, "Hello, Christina." I smile.

"So why'd you lie about Riley?"

"I don't think it was really a lie–"

"It was a lie, Darcy, or can't you tell the difference?" She snaps quietly. She looks me up and down, "No matter. Hope you're not fucking him, though I can't see why he would fuck you. You're as thin as a twig."

"I have a high metabolism." I smile. I hate her. "And a high tolerance for bitches. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go to my anger management class before I bash your pretty face into the wall."

Her eyes narrow and I promptly walk away from her. I have to go find Riley because he's supposed to take me to that anger management bullshit. I wish I could just bash Christina's face into the wall, it would make me feel a fuck ton better.

* * *

I stand in front of Riley's door for almost twenty seconds before I decide to knock. When he opens it he's shirtless and his hair is wet. Must. Not. Attack.

"I'm here for you to take me to my anger management class." I sigh. Riley opens the door wider and I enter. "I still don't think I need to take this stupid class…" I mumble as I drag my hand across his abs. He shuts the door and I turn to him. "I have a great idea." I smile big and turn to look at him, "Let's not go."

"Court orders." He says.

"Boo, you're no fun." I follow him into his bedroom and he goes to his dresser.

"I didn't know you had a guitar." I smile as I sit on his bed and pick it up. He pulls his shirt over his head.

"Do you play?"

"Oh," I laugh quietly and touch the strings, "I only know one song. I didn't get to learn any more than that. My mom didn't let me."

"Play if for me." Riley says and I look up at him.

"I.." I shake my head, "I–I can't.." My fingers start to tremble so I set the guitar down. "I don't remember it." I lie and turn away from the instrument. "And besides.. it talks about places that don't exist anymore."

"You do remember it you're just too scared to play it in front of me." Riley smiles and I look at him because he's right. Damn him.

"Yeah, so?" I smile shyly.

"One of these days I'll get you to play it for me." He holds his hand out to me and I take it.

"Not likely." I smile.

"I will. Even if it kills me." He pulls me up into his arms, then let's me go quickly.

I follow him out of the apartment and we walk side by side. "So how'd you learn only one song?" Riley asks.

"My father used to play." I look down at my feet for a second as I walk with my hands in my coat pockets, "Said it was his raison d'etre. He would sing this certain song to me every night. He said it was our song." I laugh nervously. "Sounds… sounds ridiculous."

"No it doesn't." Riley says as he opens a door and I walk in. It's a small class room it looks like. There are three other people here. They are ten times harder looking than me. I take a seat at one of the desks and Riley sits in one. He looks to big for it. He is. His knees touch the bottom of it.

"Okay, let's start by introducing ourselves." The woman says at the front of the room. Two people introduce themselves and then it's my turn.

"I'm Darcy." I say quietly.

"You in the right place, little girl'?" A man asks.

"I'm not a little girl!" I snap suddenly, slamming my hands on the desk. I feel dizzy, I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. "I'm sorry."

Riley chuckles, "She's in the right place."

We all have to take turns talking and I hate it. In fact it puts me in the worst mood ever. By the end of the class I'm frowning down at my desk with my arms folded like a fucking pouting child. This is stupid.

"Let's go." Riley says.

"Yeah. Whatever." I stand up and start towards the door without him. I walk out into the hallway and see Peter coming. He smiles and waves.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

"I just got done with my anger management class." I say. He nods.

"That's… that sucks." he laughs. "You free to hang out? Some of us are going to the Pit."

I look over my shoulder as Riley comes out of the room. "Hey, Riley are we done with stuff?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, see ya later." I smile, Peter and I begin walking.

"What's with Father Time always watching you?" Peter whispers. I force a laugh.

"He's in charge of me. He's not that old." I say. "He's actually really nice."

"Correction. He's really nice to you and every other girl." Peter points. "But he stares at you the most."

"Well, like I said, he's in charge of me." I say.

"I have a great idea." Peter chirps. "Tattoos."

"That doesn't sound like a great idea." I shake my head.

"It will be." He smiles and wraps his hand around mine. He used to hold my hand when we were younger. Peter has always been taller than me and he's always watched out for me even when my older brothers weren't. I remember when we were seven and were going to get an ice cream. He was holding my hand as we walked and this dog came out of no where. It was barking and growling. I was screaming of course. But not Peter. I don't remember how he handled that situation all I know is we were inseparable for years. Then you know… puberty hit and our friends had to make a big deal about us being so close so I guess that's kind of where we split, but now as I look up at him, I'm so glad to have him back.

We wander around the Pit for a while and we mingle with other people, but mostly we keep to ourselves. When we walk into the tattoo parlor I feel anxious. I keep thinking about Riley. When I told him that I understood about us being fuck buddies I had hoped he would say otherwise, but he didn't say anything. Peter wanders over to a wall to look at tattoo ideas as I stand and stare at a different collection.

I pick one and take it to the guy waiting. "Just the top one." I say and tell him where I want it. He nods and I take a seat.

Half an hour later Peter and I leave the parlor and I look at the design on his arm. "Pretty cool." I smile and when I look around the Pit and I feel like I'm lost. My first instinct is to look for Riley. Why? I don't know. I shouldn't. My anxiety starts to rise the more I look around.

"You okay?" Peter asks and I look up at him.

"I'm going to go back to the dorms. I'm pretty tired."

"You don't want to go to dinner?"

"Nah, I'm not feeling very well." I smile weakly but my heart is pounding in my ears. I don't wait for his reply, I turn and go. My eyes wash over the crowd and I see Riley talking to a couple girls. I don't know who they are. I don't care. I need to get out of here.

I lie in my bed for almost twenty minutes but then I need to get up. The air feels stuffy so I sit up and stair around the room. I'll just go for a little walk.

I end up on the roof. Mine and Riley's roof as I call it in my head. But I guess I shouldn't do that. I shouldn't refer to anything as 'ours' when it includes Riley. When I left his apartment at lunchtime I went to the infirmary and got that shot. I couldn't find Melanie before afternoon training started. I wonder how she's doing…

I look over my shoulder as the door slams and I see Eric. Shit. I can practically feel the anger coming off him.

"Careful, you get any angrier you'll set yourself ablaze." I say. His eyes come to mine and I freeze.

"What are you doing out here? You shouldn't be up here." He snaps angrily.

I don't know what to say so I turn my head forward again. "Troubles with the missus?"

"None of your business." He growls.

"I'm sorry." I mumble, automatically wrapping my arms around myself. Some kind of shielding mechanism I've done since I was a child. I look back out at the lights. I don't like it here now. I clear my throat weakly as I turn and avoid his eyes as I climb down.

"Where you going?" He asks coldly and it reminds me of Hank when he'd scrutinize me if I got home late some nights.

"I–I'm going inside, sir. I should go to bed." I say weakly.

A cold sweat breaks across my skin as I'm walking down the hallway I drag my hand on the wall. I feel strange. Dizzy.

"Darcy?" I hear behind me and slowly I turn around.

"Yes, sir?" I look at Riley and I'm a little surprised by the level of worry in his eyes.

"You're supposed to be in the dorm. Are you feeling unwell?"

"Uh, yeah. I think so." I blink slowly. I haven't eaten anything today I realize as I focus on Riley. The room starts to spin and a cold sickening chill runs up my skin, "Uhm. Riley I'm going to pass out."

"No, don't!" Is all I hear as my vision blurs and goes dark. I'm aware of my body falling backwards, but I don't think I ever hit the floor. I'm not sure. I'm in darkness and I can only hear my inner voice wondering where I am.

I come to in Riley's arms, I know it's him because I can smell the faint cigarette smoke that has settled in his jacket. I can smell his soap too. "What happened?" I ask.

"You passed out. I'm taking you to the infirmary." He says.

"No. It's fine. I just haven't eaten today, Riley. That shot killed my appetite." He looks down at me and studies my face, "I promise that's the truth. I faint if I haven't eaten."

"I will feed you." He looks forward again and I feel silly with him carrying me but I'm too weak to even suggest he put me down. I close my eyes and rest my head back on his chest. I hear him unlock his door and he carries me inside and into his bedroom.

I lie on his bed and he goes back into the kitchen. I hear him rummaging around in there making me something to eat. I pull his pillow down and hug it tight. It smells like him. I doze off for a minute but he gently wakes me and sets a plate on the night table before sitting down by my legs.

"Thank you." I sit up and place the plate in my lap and eat the sandwich.

"Scared the shit out of me, Darcy." He says.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." I take another bite and he pulls my right foot over and removes my shoe then my left foot. He places them on the floor and continues watching me eat. His thumb work against the bottom of my left foot gently.

"I saw you come out of the tattoo parlor with your friend."

"Oh yeah. Peter wanted to get tattoos."

"Not matching, I hope." He chuckles.

"No." I giggle as I shake my head.

"What'd you get?" he asks. I look down at the half eaten sandwich on the plate.

"It's–it's dumb." I shake my head. Oh god. I blush painfully and will the mattress to swallow me.

"I bet it's not dumb." Riley smiles and any uncertainty that I've ever had in my entire fucking life just melts away. Now I know why everyone loves him. I set the plate aside and take a deep breath as I scoot forward and turn my back to him. Gingerly, I pull my shirt up to my neck. His fingertips touch the center of my back.

* * *

 **Riley**

I gaze down at the black circle. It's filled in and almost looks like a hole in her back. "What does it mean?" I ask.

"It's an eclipse." She whispers.

"An eclipse." I nod, "Why an eclipse?"

"I guess because I feel totally lost." She says. I love it when she lets her Candor side speak, but this makes me sad. "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing." She shakes her head slightly and her shirt slides back down. I grab her waist and pull her, she falls back into my lap and looks up at me. "What?"

"I forgot the guys are coming over for poker night."

"Oh. Okay." She tries to push herself up but I won't let her. "What, Riley?"

"Stay until they get here. Finish eating." I say, but she shakes her head.

"I should go. I'm full anyway."

"Don't go." I watch her sit up and I grab the front of her shirt and pull her onto my lap.

"Why?"

"Because I haven't really gotten to hold you all day." I say.

"You held me earlier." She says suggestively.

"I want to hold you longer than that." I whisper.

She laughs and shakes her head, "Why would you want to do that?" I don't answer her though. Instead I pull her close and kiss her. I've been waiting to do that. Her fingers drag down my ribs until I feel her hands slide under my shirt. Her tongue works hard against mine and I am already at full mast for her.

"Riley, can I try something?" Darcy mumbles.

"What?"

Her eyes drop down and then come back to mine. I look down at the obvious excitement trapped in my jeans.

"I've never used my mouth before." She whispers. Fuck. I might as well just drop dead now.

"Uh yeah." I stand up and undo my fly and push my pants down slightly. Darcy gets on her knees. I'm pretty sure I'm more nervous about this than she is. I've never dealt with a beginner before. I don't think anyways.. jesus they never fuckin' told me before. She looks at me with big eyes and her hands grab me. Oh shit. Her mouth is right there. It's… close. Very close. Oh my god she just licked her lips. This can't be real. I'm fucking dreaming this again. I'm gonna wake up. I woke up slapping myself in the face the other night because of this very reason. If I do that now I'll only scare her.

Her lips touch the tip and I just about fucking fall over. She looks up at me, grabs my hips and pushes me to the wall while crawling on her knees. Then she doesn't even pause. Her mouth is on it. It's in her mouth.

"No teeth." I gasp quietly and she hums her 'okay'. Oh for fuckssakes. My phone starts ringing on my nightstand and I reach over and grab it. Darcy pauses and looks up at me. "Don't stop." I whisper, she continues and I'm staring down at her as I answer."Uh—ahh what?"

"Hey, Gunner and I are gonna be there soon. Hope you're ready to lose." Eric says.

I look down at Darcy slowly moving her head back and forth. Shiiit. My fingers comb into her hair and I forget about my phone at my ear. She is really good at this. Wait… is she too good at this? No. No, she is just the right amount of good at this.

"Is that alright?" Eric asks suddenly. His voice is an intrusion to my ears right now.

"What?"

"Gunner is…" I don't know what he says, Darcy has me really far in.

"Yeah whatever, man." I end the call and drop my phone on the floor. I just don't give a shit right now. My penis is in her mouth. She catches on quickly. I'm not surprised. She's smart. Smart like Eric–oh god don't think about Eric. Darcy. Darcy. Darcy. I'm getting close. That was fast. She's…she's…sh-sh–I should tell her. I'll tell her in a second. Just a little longer. Her hair is soft, my hips thrust gently. Very gently and she doesn't seem to mind. She moans and I almost lose it.

"Darcy, I'm close, love." I whisper roughly. She isn't slowing down. "Darcy–da–Fuck." I half grunt half groan as she pulls me deep into her mouth. I lose it. I can't hold it back. My fingers are tangled in her hair for twenty long, pressure relieving seconds. Colors flash behind my eyes and I pull out of her mouth slowly.

"Are you okay?" She asks and I nod. I should be asking her that, "Did I do it wrong?"

"NO." I shake my head. I need to fucking sit down. I pull my pants up and sit down on the bed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She stands in front of me looking worried. "I did it wrong didn't I…" She sighs and her shoulders fall.

"No, Darcy," I'm still lingering in my happy place as I grab her forearms and pull her onto my lap. She wraps her arms around my neck. "That was amazing. You swear you've never done that before?"

She nods. "I promise."

The animal part of my brain is going nuts right now as I look at her. She's beautiful. My inner voice is screaming like a banshee and telling to keep her. Do whatever it takes to keep her.

"I…" This is going to sound so petty and superficial since she just gave me a blowjob. "Will you just…" How the fuck do I ask this? The knock on my front door breaks our eye contact.

"Who's that?" She asks quietly.

"Eric and Gunner." I say just as quietly. I want to tell them to go away. Tell them I have the plague. Anything to make them go away. "Darcy, will you–"

"I should go." Her eyes get wide and she tries to climb off but I tighten my arms around her and kiss her. Her fingers slide into my hair and I hear Eric pounding at the front door again. She giggles against my lips and I love the sound. I want her to be mine.

Eric's pounding is getting annoying and Darcy climbs off my lap.

I walk with her to the front door and when I open it Eric and Gunner look at us. Eric's eyes narrow on me as if he has any place to judge.

"You okay to make it back?" I ask Darcy and she nods.

"Yeah, thank you for taking care of me." she smiles politely and I can believe what those lips were just doing. She steps timidly past Gunner and Eric.

They both watch her leave and then look back to me.

"She fainted." I say. If Eric squints any harder I'm going to lock him out.

The three of us sit at the table, each with a beer. Soon cigarette smoke clouds above us as we swear at each other.

"You're a fuckin' cheat." I shake my head with a cigarette between my lips, Eric chuckles and taps the ash off his cigarette as he takes a heavy gulp from his third beer.

"Riley, heard something interesting about you." Gunner says as he positions his cards in his hand.

"I'm not gay, man. Sorry for the disappointment." I crack open another beer and Gunner rolls his eyes as Eric laughs. He's been texting a lot tonight. He's left a few times to make phone calls. He's pissed about something but is keeping it to himself.

"Some little transfer bitch wanted his dick." Eric says to Gunner. I don't confirm or deny it. She's not a bitch and she can have my dick whenever she wants. "We–I thought he was bangin' that Darcy girl, but apparently he's not." Eric is slightly drunk as he chirps his words. The dude's alright if you can get him a little buzzed. Too bad I don't have any of Melanie's brownies for him.

"You've got another girl slobbering over you?" Gunner blows smoke and I shake my head.

"Nah, she's…" I can't think of the words. "Different."

"So who is the mystery girl then?" Eric asks. I look between him and Gunner.

"No one you've heard of." I say from behind my glass. "But I need some advice."

"Advice?" Eric looks at me and then looks at Gunner. "Aren't we supposed to come to you for Advice, old man?"

"I'm only 34." I snap quietly. "I'm not that old."

Eric and Gunner laugh.

"Look.. she's got like.. this fuckin' idea in her head that we're just fuck buddies." I sigh and stare at my cigarette between my thumb and forefinger.

"Uh oh.." Gunner looks at me, "You're getting friend-zoned….er, fuck buddy zoned." Great, now he's drunk too. Kids.

Eric starts laughing and I set my beer down. Shithead. A sound fills the small room and I shudder as I look at Eric. What the fuck is that sound? Very…very sexy moans

"What the fuck is that Eric? Porn playing on your phone?" I chuckle as I watch Eric drunkenly fumble for his phone.

"Eric.." Melanie's voice moans, Gunner stiffens suddenly and Eric looks at him. Gunner comes across the table and I catch him by the throat.

"What the fuck, man?!" Gunner growls at Eric, still reaching for him as I pull him off the table and pin him to the wall.

"Yeah, Eric, what the fuck, man?" I look at him.

"I was going to tell you–"

"That you're fucking my baby sister?!" Gunner snaps viciously.

"Are you kidding me?" Eric snaps back. "I'm not fucking her! I love her! I've loved her for years!"

"Okay. You can beat his ass now." I let go of Gunner and he flies at Eric like a wild animal. I grab my beer off the table and stand back as I watch them drunkenly hitting at each other on the floor. I pick up Eric's cards and look at them, "Fuckin' cheater." I shake my head and take a long drag off my cigarette.

They fight for a good solid ten minutes. I leave to piss and smoke outside when I come back in they're sitting on my kitchen floor across from one another. Eric's mouth is bleeding and Gunner doesn't look much worse.

Eric's phone starts ringing again.

"Dude. No. Change your ringtone. Keep that shit to yourself." Gunner points at him. Oh good, they've worked it out. Gunner's accepted it. But I don't think anyone will accept that ringtone. Eric answers his phone as he gets to his feet and walks into the living room for some privacy.

"Shit. If that's what he gets for loving her I hope I never see what you do to him if he hurts her." I mumble.

* * *

 **Darcy**

I don't go to the dorm like I told Riley. I have a problem. I have a real problem. My fingers drag over all the ammo as I look down at the floor. Matches.. matches. Where would they be? I find the lighter fluid. Come on… matches. I open drawers and search, my heart beats hard, not fast, but like I'm waiting to stick a needle in my arm so I can get high.

I can't find any matches. What am I doing? I promised Riley I wouldn't do this anymore. I slide down to the floor and rest my forehead on my knees, wrap my arms around my legs. I close my eyes and relax.

I just want to light up everything. I want to watch things burn. The way they should.

My head pops up when the door opens and I look at Four. "What are you doing in here?" he asks.

"What? Nothing. I was just–" I stammer as I get to my feet. "I promise." He storms over to me and grabs me by my upper arm. "Four, please, I'm sorry."

"You're a fuckin' liar." Four growls as he yanks me along. I start crying. "We'll see what Max has to say about this."

"No, Four!" I plead and pull against him like a cat on a leash. "Stop! Please!"

As he drags me through the Arena, I don't know what comes over me, I cling to his shirt and he stops. "Please, Four, I'll do anything." I cry. "I'm sorry, I swear I wasn't–I'll do anything." I sob against his chest. His grip loosens and his hands hold my shoulders.

"Stop crying, it's embarrassing." He says. I sniff as I look up at him. His brown eyes look at me like… he's thinking about something.


	18. Chapter 18

**It's Thursday and here's another chapter for you all. Rated M due to violence so you have been warned...**

 **Review or PM if you want: I always answer. See you all on Monday! xoxox**

* * *

 **Melanie**

Lynn nudges me as we make our way back to the Arena after breakfast. I look up at her to find that she is grinning. Something good must have happened for her to grin like that.

"What?"

"I just heard that Riley has switched teams," she snickers. I frown, not understanding what she is saying. "Rumour has it that he's balling a dude, Mel! A Dude!"

"WHAT!?" The world tilts to one side and I almost trip over my own feet. Uriah, Marlene, Zeke and the others stop and turn to look at us. "Who... what… when? Nooo!"

"What's up?" Uriah asks. I can't answer him. I can't even feel my fucking legs anymore. I'm numb from the waist down.

I lean against the rough stone of the wall while Lynn fills the others in about what she had heard. Apparently one of the transfers was flirting with him and Riley had to tell her that he prefers men.  
The others begin to roar with laughter, but all I want to do is barf my brains out. First I thought Darcy was with him, only to find out that she hadn't been, and that had been devastating enough. And now this!  
I don't care if he's balling guys – each to his own – but cheating on Darcy with a dude? That's just ice cold, man! Ruthless!

I gasp and press my hand against my chest. Oh, my god, Darcy! She was fine during breakfast, laughing and joking with that Peter guy. I have to go to her before she hears this. Or at least be there for her.

But first things first…

The others call me when I turn on my heels and stomp back to the cafeteria, but I ignore them. He lied to me. I can't believe I fell for his bullshit and sad puppy eyes. And then he had the audacity to warm me about Eric? I'll show him that no one fucks with Melanie Yasmine Wilson!

* * *

"You're late, initiate," Eric sneers the second I enter into the Arena. I stop for a moment to glare at him and the temperature in the training centre drops at least fifty degrees. "Stay after training. We'll see if you'll dare giving me that look again afterwards."

I clench my hands into tight fists before I can flip him the double bird, and go to stand amongst the others. Lauren, our instructor, glances nervously from Eric to me as we continue glaring at each other before she clears her throat and begins the training session. Within minutes the only sounds in the large hall are of fists and feet hitting the thick leather of the punching bags.

I'm so pissed that the cable of my bag is humming while the bag itself is swinging in all directions as I unleash my fury on it. It's a good thing that shooting practice wasn't this morning; I don't know what I would've done while holding a gun. Most likely shot Riley in the dick. Asshole…  
He has been with someone else! Fucking unbelievable!

"Control your anger, initiate," Eric says behind me, "before you hurt yourself." The bag swings into my direction and I stop it with a high kick. "Fuck, Mel, I forgot you can do the split," he groans. "Ooh, the possibilities are endless…"

Before I can react, he places his big, strong hands on my waist and begins to caress the exposed skin beneath my sports bra.

My breath hitches in my throat when my ass brushes against his groin and I feel the evidence of his arousal. "Eric, stop it," I snap.

"Not until you tell me who's gotten you all worked up."

I close my eyes and clench my jaw. "Riley."

Eric freezes, standing perfectly still, and I know that I'm in for another round of chastising. "What did I tell you?" he snarls while his digs his fingers into my hips. Here we go…

"He was fucking someone else, Eric!" I snap. "He's cheating on my friend! Did you really think I would let that one slide? Fuck no!" Eric spins me around so quickly that it dizzies me. For a long time, we stare at each other in what can't be described other than a battle of the will. But in the end it is I who has to look away.

Eric grabs my chin and forces me to look back at him. The rage in his eyes is terrifying. "For the last time," he says in a low voice that makes the small hairs on the back of my neck rise, "stay out of their business, Melanie. I don't want you near any one of them when Max founds out. Do you hear me?"

"Then don't fucking touch me while we're in public," I hiss back. "Follow your own goddamn rules for a change. Sir."

He leans closer to me and actually growls at me while tightening his grip on my jaw. "Watch your fucking tone with me, initiate." I blink a few times while my bottom lip starts to quiver, I am that pissed. He releases my chin and steps back. "Twenty rounds. Now!"

"What!?"

He raises his eyebrow in warning. "Thirty." I shriek with frustration. "Forty."

Great… On my first day… Bloody hell…

* * *

I ignore Eric for the rest of the training, and afterwards I'm the first one out, running at light speed even though he told me to stay. I hear him roaring my name when I'm at the end of the tunnel and I keep running. He can go fuck himself. I'm so done with his bullshit.

I end up on a rooftop, sweat-soaked and shaking, and stay there until it's too cold to ignore the fact that I forgot my sweater in the Arena. I'm almost certain that he's either looking for me or keeping an eye on me through the surveillance cameras, but it's a risk I'll have to take if I don't want to end up with pneumonia.

The dorm is deserted when I arrive there, and I quickly take a shower and change into warmer clothes.

"Mel," I hear behind me. I twirl around and sigh with relief when I see Jace standing at the door. "You're alright? Eric has been looking for you."

I clear my throat and nods. "Yeah, I guess he's really pissed."

Jace snorts. "That's putting it mildly. He looked like he did on Saturday."

I sigh. "Fuck… about that, I owe you an apology. Gunner told him to look after me and he kind of went overboard with his protectiveness."

Jace gives me an amused smirk, clearly not believing me, and suddenly I can see the resemblance with Eric. I frown. Why haven't I seen it before? They really look alike, like close relatives. It's unsettling, to say the least. Could this be the reason why Eric is so jealous? Is he afraid I'll choose Jace over him?

"Let me guess, it had to do with the dress you had on earlier that evening?" Jace chuckles.

I grin. "Oh, you saw me?"

"And have been dreaming about you since then," he winks. "The pictures are still being sent around the place. You're now famous for your other muffins, Mel."

I roll my eyes and throw my pillow at him. "Oh, shut up!" He catches it and finally approaches me. "Where is everyone?"

"Our not-so-secret hideout," he says as he drops the pillow behind me.

"I missed dinner, but I'm terrified to go to the cafeteria."

Jace takes my hand and pulls me up. "You go to our hideout while I go and grab you something to eat. How does that sound?"

"I like your thinking, J-man."

"I know you do, M." He gestures to himself. "Brains and brawns, goddess. I'm irresistible."

I raise an eyebrow and give him a dead-panned stare. "Don't overdo it."

He sucks his teeth. "You're just jealous. You know I'm hot."

But the time we arrive in our not-so-secret hangout, one of the older garages that aren't being used anymore, my belly is hurting from laughing. But when my phone begins to beep and I see who is calling me, all laughter leaves my system. I refuse the call, put the phone on vibrate and shove it back into my pocket. He is the last person I want to talk to right now.

"Damn, Mel, Eric is furious!" Uriah laughs as soon as he sees me.

"What's new?" I snort. "It's either him or Riley or Max or my brother. Why do you think I'm the fastest runner of you all? I still ran like the wind after those forty rounds."

I sit down on the worn leather sofa between my cousins Ezra and Gabe, and the first can of beer is already coming my way.

"It doesn't matter, Mel," Ezra says with a slur and bloodshed eyes. "You can't outrun him forever. He'll go medieval on your ass tomorrow. You'll be ass-less before lunch."

Our cousin Gabe begin to giggle on my other side. "Her ass will be on the menu for lunch!"

"And for dinner we'll be having Melanie stew!" Ezra shrieks with laughter, and they just die with laughter.

I roll my eyes at both of them and sip my beer. If I'm going to be ass-less tomorrow, I might as well make sure that my last night on Earth will be one to remember. My phone begins to vibrate and I quickly take another sip while trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach.

* * *

Fuck… I never noticed before that the tunnels and hallways had so many bends. Wait a minute, they're also sloped because Jace and I keep bumping against the walls.

"Fuck, Jace, you're heavy!" I whine as I try to focus on walking straight in these treacherous tunnels.

He pulls me closer and nuzzles my neck. "You smell so good, Mel," he breathes in my ear. "Your name s-should have been Rose or-or Yasmine."

"My second name _is_ Yasmine, Robert," I laugh – and we bump against the opposite wall. Goddammit!

I'm too drunk for this shit, man! Where is Max? He needs to order these tunnels to straighten the fuck out… up… in… Yeah…  
Oh, wait, I could call Eric! Yeah, Eric would straighten these tunnels the fuck out.  
I grab my phone and speed-dial my Muffin Man. I love him so much!  
I close my eyes and the world is slowly spinning around. I'm all warm and fuzzy and… heavy. No, wait, that would be Jace. He's so fucking cute!  
I let my phone slip into a pocket and tighten my arms around him before giving him a sloppy kiss on his mouth. He tastes like beer. I like beer even though it tastes horrible.

"J, I love you, man."

And Jace must really love me too because the next moment I feel his tongue inside my mouth, twirling around mine like he means business. His hands disappear beneath my sweater and grab my breasts.

 _Nooo_! I push him away and he lands on his ass. "Are you out of your goddamn mind!?" I scream while frantically rubbing my sleeve over my mouth.

"You said you loved me," he grins wickedly from where he is lying on the ground.

"Like a brother! Brothers don't stick their tongues into their sisters' mouths unless you're a goddamn Stiff!"

"You believe the shit Erudite has been writing about the Stiffs?" he laughs. "You wanna know what else is stiff?" He gropes his groin and ends up screaming with laughter when I try to kick him where his hand is. I miss and end up colliding face first against the opposite wall.  
Okay, I definitively shouldn't have taken the last three beers.

My phone vibrates again. I pull it out and see that Eric just sent his twentieth text message. What's up with him? He's been calling and texting me all evening. What's so urgent that it can't wait till tomorrow?  
Maybe he ran out of muffins. Baby, no! I should call him back, poor baby.

"Wassup, Stud McMuffin?" I coo in his ear the moment he accepts the call.

"We need to talk," Eric drawls and I moan when I hear his voice. God, I love his voice. It's so deep and manly and it fucking turns me on. No wait, I was angry with him! I remember. No… yep… still angry with him. Asshole…

"Not now, I need to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow." Yeah, that will show him.

"Alright," he says and then he hangs up. Well, shit! Fuck you too then! No more muffins for you!

I look at Jace and see that he isn't moving. I frown. He dead?

I nudge him with my feet and yelp when he begins to snore loudly. I kneel down beside him and begin to shake and slap him. "Wake up, J-man. We need to get back to the dorm before they find us and kick us out of the faction. I won't survive that, man! I'm too pretty to become factionless!"

Jace bolts up, almost knocking me down. "I'll protect you, Mel. Don't worry. And then... and then we'll start our own faction."

Somehow I manage to get us both back on our feet. "Nooo, I don't wanna leave! I want more tattoos, and this Saturday Ezra is throwing a birthday party. We need to be there, man. More beer."

We make it back to the dorm on time. Just when I let Jace fall onto his bed, the lights are switched off.

Great…

* * *

 **Eric**

I watch her as she staggers through the tunnels, glued to the same kid she was dry-humping just two days ago; I feel my jaw lock as she kisses him and he kisses her back while his hands disappear underneath her sweater - and I feel absolutely nothing besides this strange numbing coldness spreading throughout my entire body like a disease.

"I thought you should know about this," Four says quietly. "The entire group was drunk on their first night." He types another code and next I see them entering the dorm, just thirty seconds before curfew begins.

I nod. "Alright. I'll take care of it," I say calmly. I leave the control room without uttering another word. I'm having trouble forming coherent thoughts. I can't understand why I feel so... dead inside.

The next moment I blink and I realise that I'm standing outside of the Dauntless-born dorm. I don't remember making the decision to come here. But here I stand. Why? I don't remember.  
I push the door open and my hand slides along the wall searching for the light switches to the left. I find the row of three and switch on the second. Six blue tube lamps are lit; their soft light ensures that the initiates are not disturbed in their sleep. But by the sound of the loud snoring all around me, not even a fire alarm could wake them.

I walk slowly into the dorm and look patiently for Melanie. My eyes linger over every face, recognizing hers finally. She is passed out on top of her comforter, and I finally understand why I came here.  
I gaze down at her for a moment or two, still feeling so cold... empty. Without any thought I reach down and gently caress her face with my fingertips. Her dark skin is soft as sin. She snorts softly then frowns, but doesn't wake up.

She's so beautiful it almost hurts to look at her. I bend down and brush my lips against hers, but then I freeze when she moans "Jace...", and suddenly the coldness is replaced by an all-consuming rage that burns me alive from the inside.  
My muscles fill with vehement strength as I clamp my hand over her mouth and nose. My other hand seizes her throat and her eyes fly open. Her hands grab at my wrists as I drag her silently down the aisle of bunks. Her shoes make a dulled shuffling scrape on the floor as she struggles in my grip. She screams against my hand, but no one can hear her whispered shrieks against my palm.  
No one wakes up.  
No one stops me as I drag her out of the dorm.

* * *

 **Melanie**

"where were you last night?" Eric asks me in a low voice.

I can barely hear him over the thunderous rushing noise in my ears, I am that livid. After waking up in the worst and most terrifying way possible, I can only think of the most painful ways for him to die – but only after I torture him for an eternity.

I shrug and smirk smugly. "I was with Jace. We never got the chance to finish our dance, so we did." As soon as those words leave me, I'm slammed against the wall, and pain explodes in the back of my head and my shoulders.

"Wrong answer," Eric whispers. His fingers dig into my shoulders and he slams me against the wall again. "Let's try it again, shall we? Where were you?"

I make the mistake of looking into his eyes and my heart skips a beat, and then another. His pupils are dilated wide, and his eyes look completely inhuman. This is what Death must look like. This is what a dying soul sees when He comes for them.  
I don't know what to do or say. I can't even think anymore. Primal fear pushes Anger aside and takes over, propelled by survival instincts, and I begin to fight him with all my might.

Both his hands close on my throat as I kick at him and he struggles against me as well. I try to scream but my attempts are choked. I claw at his face and punch at him but it's useless- he doesn't even blink. He drags me away from the wall and slams me back against it. My choked screams turn into sobs when I don't even have enough strength left in me to grab his wrists as he is still holding my throat.I'm such a fool to think that I could ever win. A stupid, suicidal idiot whose about to be killed by the monster she fell in love eons ago.

I remember the day he walked into my life. Blonde and tall and handsome like a god. He had looked uncomfortable when he had smiled at my parents that day, and I remember wondering why he seemed to have trouble smiling. Still, the more he visited us, the more relaxed he became until he finally began to notice me as well. One day I was just Gunner's little sister; the next I had become Melanie or Mel. Buttercups and Cupcake followed soon afterwards when my baking hobby changed into a pastry obsession and he became addicted to my muffins.

I will never ever forget the first time he kissed me, three years later. My mother had told us about the old traditions of the Christmas celebrations during one of our family dinners, like kissing under the mistletoe. To this day I don't know where Eric found a sample, but a few days later I ran into him on my way to school. He stopped me, held a branch of the plant above my head and kissed me for the first time. I had just turned fifteen, and he was already a feared leader at twenty-one.  
From that day on the trouble began with my curling toes.

As I look into his eyes I can't help but wonder if that guy is still somewhere deep inside this man I no longer recognise; if he also remembers the way we used to be once, slowly circling around each other until we no longer could ignore the magnetic pull we had on one another and finally gave in, only one week ago.

The silence grows heavier between us as we stare at each other until I can't look at him anymore.  
Suddenly Eric lets go of me and I fall onto the cold floor. I pull my legs up, wrap my arms around my knees and lay my head on my arms. He squats in front of me and slowly reach out a hand. He cups my cheek and I close my eyes when the first tear falls.

"What the fuck is wrong with us, Mel?" he asks me hoarsely. I shrug weakly, feeling completely drained and helpless. His thumb brushes away my tears, but new ones keep falling. "Why did you kiss him?"

I shake my head. I can't speak. My throat is swollen and it hurts whenever I swallow. He never hurt me before... Why did he hurt me?

Jace... Oh, god…

"W-We were at the hideout," I whisper, even though my throat is killing me. But I have to tell him – I have to before he goes after Jace. "We drank too much. I kissed him and then he kissed me back. And then..."I paused and wince as I force myself to swallow. "Then I pushed him and cussed him out be-because brothers don't kiss their sisters like that, and he is like a brother to me, I swear he is! And then we got to the dorm and..."I begin to sob hysterically. "And then you came... Why? Why did you hurt me?"

I start to hyperventilate and I can't be curled up in a ball any longer. I hurry to my feet using the wall to pull myself up and Eric comes against me suddenly, but I plant my hands on his chest and try to push him away. I-I can't breathe.

"D-don't… Go away," I gasp. I can't see anything. My vision is getting dark around the edges. It's like I'm suddenly in a tunnel. Oh, my god, I'm going blind? My heart is pounding and racing again, and I'm certain it is going to kill me before I ever get free of his arms.  
I can't breathe fast enough. It's like my lungs are made of stone and no matter how hard I try, there isn't enough air in them.  
I shove Eric as hard as I can, only budging him a foot or two, but it is enough to escape and I bolt down the hallway.

"Melanie!" he shouts after me and I have no idea where I'm going, but I reach an exit and break into the cold air of the night. My breaths come in the form of small puffs as I run. I'm so confused suddenly. I don't where I am or where to go. The tears flowing down my cheeks blur my vision as his voice terrifies me further. He keeps calling my name, but I keep running. I have to even though I still can't breathe well. I can't stop. I won't…

I stumble onto the train tracks and fall down. My shoe gets caught between the railroad tie and the rail. "Shit!" I cry as I see the light from the train.  
My fingers fumble dumbly, trying to get myself unstuck. They're too cold though and I can't-I can't! I'm stuck! I'm screaming and crying like a child lost in the dark. I close my eyes as the train comes closer. This wasn't supposed to happen…

 _Eric_ …


	19. Chapter 19

**It's Monday again so here is another Darcy & Riley chapter for you. While Melanie is trying to deal with her situation, Darcy gets her share as well thanks to Four, so a fair warning is in order- especially when you're a Four-fan. Remember, you can always PM me when you have questions about the way we portray the known characters, or about the story.; I will always answer you.**

 **See you on Thursday! xoxox**

* * *

 **Darcy**

Four blinks slowly and with a calm expression tells me, "You'll come back here after dinner tomorrow night. And I'm going to teach you a lesson about lying." He whispers. "Now get out of my sight."

I leave and start for the dormitory. I have no idea what's going to happen to me tomorrow. He's probably going to make me run until I throw up or practice hitting until my arms fall off. I don't know. I get to my bed and climb into it.

I dream about Riley. I dream about his smile and how he looked after I was on my knees. I stir and wake hugging my pillow.

When I enter the training room with the others Four and Riley are talking and they turn to us, "Training is put off until this afternoon." Riley says, his eyes meet mine and I can see something has happened. The initiates disperse and I look at Riley as he passes me. I look at Four talking to someone else before I run after Riley.

"Riley, what's going on?"

"Melanie's been hurt."

"What? Is she okay?" I follow him down the hallway.

"Yeah, she'll be fine."

"Where is she?"

"My place."

"Can I see her?"

Riley turns and looks down at me. He digs into his pocket and pulls his keys out, removes a single key and hands it to me. "Just leave it on the counter."

"Okay." I take the key and hurry for the stairwell. When I get to Riley's apartment I unlock the door and go inside. Melanie startles when she sees me, but she gets up and hurries over. She throws her arms around me and I …pat her back. I'm not good at comforting others. I've never really been comforted by anyone other than Riley. What would Riley do?

"What happened?" I ask as I wrap my arm around her shoulders. Riley would do that, right?

She starts crying and I lead her back to the couch. We sit down, "Eric lost his fuckin' mind last night," she squeaks and I run my fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. She looks horrible, but I will keep that to myself. I think that in Candor people forget that opinions are not facts. Too many times my sister told me her thoughts on how I looked when she didn't have to. "He–he dragged me out of the dormitory." She goes on and on and I listen.

She lays her head in my lap and I brush her hair back as she cries. She cries for a long time and I can't think of anything to say still. I don't know what to tell her. I've never… been in love. Even as I think it my mind goes to Riley. "I love him, Darcy," she sniffs before another wave of crying hits.

"I know you do..." I whisper.

"He didn't mean to hurt me. I know he didn't. But he's…" She sobs heavily, "He's changed. He used to be so nice."

Eric nice? Yeah. And I'm a fucking unicorn. I focus back on Melanie.

"I just want Eric–My Eric, the one I fell in love with," she cries weakly. I'm trying to figure out how she feels but all I can come to is how I felt when my father left. She sits up and sighs, "I want what my parents have. They're perfect together and they're happy…you know?"

I nod and then shake my head, "No, I don't really…" I clear my throat. "My dad–My mom cheated on my dad and my dad left. So… uh no, I don't…" This is awkward. She's staring at me and I blurt out, "My dad loved my mom though, I mean like really loved her so…I guess I kind of know what you mean, but…" Shit. I'm a shit friend.

"I told him not to touch me," she speaks quietly. "You should've seen the look in his eyes. Like I stabbed him."

I know that look. I remember it clear on my father's face before he left for work that last morning I saw him. Melanie goes through a whole range of emotions and at one point I even have to stop her from leaving to break Eric's door down and destroy his apartment. I reason with her that it wouldn't be a smart idea. She tells me that Riley went to erase the surveillance footage and I'm not sure how to feel about that. But I'm not sure how to feel about anything. When she starts a new batch of tears I hold her until she falls asleep. This is really… Not how I thought the day would go.

I look over my shoulder as there's a knock on the door. I masterfully slide out from under Melanie and lay her head down carefully. I open the door and Riley looks down at me.

"She's asleep," I whisper as he enters.

"Good, she needs it," he says.

"She told me everything." Which was a lot.

"Look…" Riley shakes his head, "Eric is a good guy. He's just lost or something. He needs to get some help."

"You erased the footage of them…" I mumble.

"I did," he nods. "It's something that Eric needs to fucking figure out. I'm not going to let him get kicked out.."

I don't know how I feel about this either. so I just nod. "I should be going."

Riley looks towards the living room briefly before grabbing my face to pull me forward and kiss me. I can taste the cigarette he must've just had. His tongue touches the roof of my mouth and I want to make him groan like I did yesterday. My hands slide to his chest and I can feel his piercings through the material of his shirt.

He pulls me away gently and smiles down at me. "We can't do this right now," he whispers.

"I know." I frown and remember Melanie is asleep on the couch. "Stupid Eric. Fuckin' cock block of the century," I mumble. Riley laughs loudly and I blush. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"Riley? Is that you?" We both look to the couch and I step away from him just as Melanie sits up.

"Why don't you come hang out with us for a little while after dinner?" Riley asks quietly.

"Okay. Yeah, I'll stop by. See you guys later." I say as I go out the door. I glance back at him watching me.

I get lunch and sit with Uriah because Peter isn't here. Uriah is quiet as his friends are all talking about whatever it is they talk about. "Did you hear about Melanie?"

Someone says, "I heard someone attacked her last night."

"Are you okay?" Uriah asks and I look up at him.

"Yeah. I'm just… worried about Melanie. I hope she's okay," I say. Uriah nods and I can tell something is bothering him by the way he's pushing his food around with his spoon. Usually he's stuffing his face at meal times.

"What's wrong?" I bump his shoulder with mine, and he smiles.

"They're saying that she was attacked because she's so highly ranked," he whispers.

"You worried you're going to be attacked," I giggle. "Have you seen you?"

Uriah laughs shortly. "No, I just hope they figure out who the attackers were."

* * *

After lunch I go back to the Arena and we begin our afternoon training. Four is watching me closely until Riley shows up. I feel better seeing him. More relaxed. I wonder if everyone feels that way when they see him.

Four takes us all out for a run and I manage to just stay in the middle of the pack because I don't want to be in front with Four but I don't want to be in the back.

Needless to say I'm exhausted when training ends and I'm not very hungry for dinner. But I sit at the table regardless and take in what upbeat energy I can from the initiates around me. Riley isn't up at the leaders table. He's probably with Melanie.

When I leave the cafeteria to go meet Four I feel a little sick from nerves. I don't know what he's going to make me do.

I'm walking past the leader's apartments when I see Eric's door is wide open and I hear things crashing around inside. I don't know what compels me to look inside. Stupidity probably. I hear him shout in pain and I peek inside. "Eric?"

"Go away!" He roars. Not really scaring me though. I step inside and look around. The place is a mess. I close the apartment door and turn back to the chaos.

"Eric, are you alright?" I ask. Where is he?

"What the fuck did I tell you?!" He yells as he comes out of his bedroom, pissed and I'm his target. "Did I say you could come in?" He grabs my arm and yanks me toward the door. As he pushes me I hit my head on the door frame and stumble into the hallway. "Shit." He hisses and rushes to me, pulling me to my feet. I don't know what to say I've never seen him in such a weird… way. "Stupid girl."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." I mumble. He growls as his eyes settle on my forehead.

"Fuck." He growls and blood begins to drip off my eyebrow.

"What the fuck, Eric!" Riley snaps from down the hallway.

"I'm okay." I say suddenly, "I was helping Eric and I hit my head. Was on my way to the infirmary. Kind of fainted." I laugh nervously as I look up at Riley. "I'm just clumsy."

Riley grabs my face, squishing my cheeks as he looks me in the eyes. "Riley, I'll take her to the infirmary." Eric says. Riley's eyes slide from Eric's face back to mine and for a second I feel like he's going to kiss me. I want him to. I don't care if Eric is right here and I have blood on my face.

"Okay." Riley says letting me go. His eyes become shielded again as he steps back. I see Melanie come around the corner and hurry to hide behind Riley. Eric sees her and I tug on his sleeve.

As we walk away I glance over my shoulder at Riley letting Melanie into his apartment. Panic rises and boils over within me. Eric walks me to the infirmary and neither of us says anything. I don't have to get stitched but it hurts when the doctor puts the bandage on.

"I'm sorry, Darcy, I reacted horribly." Eric says quietly. He looks worried.

"Don't worry about it." I smile. "I overstepped–I shouldn't have come into your apartment." I shake my head.

"I shouldn't have been so rough with you." He says coldly.

"Oh," I giggle, "that's–that wasn't that bad." I slide off the table. "I've had…" I stop myself as I think about Hank. "worse." The word is numb on my lips. Then my mind shoots to Four. "I… I need to go to the-the uh…" I shake my head, what, am I confused? "The uhm… Arena. I forgot my…sweater."

"I'll walk you." Eric sighs and I can tell he doesn't want to.

"Thank you, but you seemed busy with something upstairs. So I won't hold it against you if you need to get back to it."

"Yeah." He nods and turns from me. As he leaves I look down at my shoes, the drops of blood that have dried on my right shoe. I don't want to go see Four.

I walk slowly down the hallway and when I get to the Arena it's empty, completely. I look around anxiously.

"You're late." Four says from behind me, I turn around colliding into his chest and I immediately start trembling.

"I'm sorry. I had to go to the infirmary." I whisper. I can only stare at his neck. I'm terrified to look him in the eye.

"I don't like to be kept waiting." He says softly as the backs of his fingers brush the bandage on my forehead. "I don't give a shit if you're bleeding to death, sweetheart." His voice scares me, I don't know why. I inhale slowly. I need to stand my ground with him.

"I had to go to the infirmary, it's not my fault I was late." I say. I wish my voice would come out a little more solid.

He doesn't say anything. He slides his hand into mine and his fingers tangle with my fingers, I don't react. "I think you should come with me."

"I don't want to." I say.

"Yes you do." He jerks me forward. "I want to show you something."

Four leads me out of the Arena and down a hallway. Then up a few flights of stairs. I am trembling the whole time. We come to a door that says 'control room' and I look at Four as he unlocks it. When we step inside he deadbolts the door then he grabs my wrist and pulls me over to the screens that cover an entire wall. He types codes in and points at a screen.

I see Melanie and Eric, and I look at Four. His hand grabs the back of my neck and he forces me to look at the screen.

"Look at this." Four pushes a button. Eric is holding Melanie against the wall. It's a horrific sight what plays out. "Your best friend and that crazy fuck. You've known about them."

I nod but don't say anything and he growls and shoves me closer to the screen. "I'm going to destroy him."

"You can't." I gasp. "She–sh–" I can't tell him, "She loves him. He didn't mean to hurt her."

"Is that so?" Four's tone is scary and I can only picture this evil thing in my head smiling as he makes me watch this over and over.

"H-he's not going to do it again."

"Don't tell me you care about that psychotic bastard." Four growls.

"He's.." I sigh, "He's my friend." Is he? Fuck if I know right now. It's quiet for a second and he pushes a button freezing the tape of Melanie stuck on the tracks.

"I think you and I have just found some middle ground, Darcy."

He releases me and I watch him walk over and remove two discs. "What are you talking about?"

"You want to protect your friends?" He holds up the discs in front of me. "You'll do as I say from now on."

I shake my head, "You're fuckin' crazy, man."

"Am I? Because I think Eric looks pretty crazy. Max can't have this kind of behavior in a leadership position. Eric will face suspension. Loss of rank." Four chuckles, "Possibly being exiled from the faction."

That would break Melanie's heart. "Four, you can't do that. He didn't mean to hurt her."

"I don't care." He shrugs. He pulls his phone out, "I'll call Max right now."

I look at the discs in his hands. Melanie and Eric. "Fine." I snap.

Four grins, "I knew you'd understand." He steps closer to me and grabs my hand, squeezing it reassuringly, but it feels more like a signiture to his threat. He puts his phone away and opens a drawer. "Here, you need one." He hands me a phone. "My number is already saved. I'll walk you back."

I don't say anything as he has my elbow tight in his grip. I think about half way back he stops and looks at me. "I forgot to teach you your lesson about lying. And you were late as well." He says pleasantly. He looks around and then pulls me into an unoccupied room. I'm not sure what it is.

Immediately my body shakes and he pins me against the wall. I hear him undoing his belt, my hands slide across the brick wall and I try to push against him. His forearm has my neck pinned though and I cannot move.

The sting comes across the back of my thighs like a flash of lightning and I scream. His hand closes over my mouth and it's muffled as he turns me to face him. He pushes my head against the wall and leans close to me. "You were ten minutes late." His breath is hot on my ear. I hate him. I hate him so much. "Nine more." My hands curl into the collar of his shirt as I plead into his palm not to do it. But it didn't work with Hank. It's not going to work with Four.

* * *

Four laces his belt through the loops on his pants as I am crumpled on the floor like discarded paper cup. My legs are numb and throbbing. Yet they sting and burn at the same time. I don't understand it. Never have.

I lie there long after Four has left. I once was sprawled out on the floor of the pantry at my mother's house after such a beating from Hank. I stared at the ceiling when I felt something watching me. I had turned my head to see a mouse sitting under the bottom shelf, nibbling a piece of cracker. Staring at me. I was no threat to him. He knew it. I blew the garage up that night.

I should tell Riley. That's my first thought. It lands first in my mind before any destructive patterns start to form behind my eyes. I need to go to him.

I move with stiff limbs and it takes minutes for me to get to my feet. My hell is fresh as I take the first step, my jeans rub my skin and I inhale sharply. Riley. I need to get to Riley. I don't care if it takes all night.

* * *

 **Riley**

Dinner ended a half hour ago and Darcy still hasn't shown up. I'd call her but she doesn't have a phone and Melanie is going to drink all my beer if I don't stop her. She's been an emotional wreck today. There's a movie playing and Melanie is talking about Eric for the fortieth time about how sweet he can be but then she plunges into despair and starts crying and then she pulls her self back out with some kind of happy sappy memory of him. Women.

"You need to stay away from him. I warned you to be careful." I say as I start on my fourth beer. Where the fuck is Darcy? I look at my watch, curfew just started. Fuck. She probably forgot.

"Expecting someone?" Melanie grins. "Your mystery girl."

"Hardly." I roll my eyes feeling a little irritated. I look at Melanie and she's staring at me drunkenly.

"Riley, you're so caring and dependable." She says.

"Uh.. thank you? I guess." I reach for her beer, "Melanie, I think you've had enough to drink."

Melanie's mouth crashes onto mine, her tongue pushes past my lips and I learn just how strong she is as her hands grab the back of my head. My lips move against hers and it's so different from Darcy.

Jesus fuck, what are we doing?! I pry her fingers from my hair and gently push her away. Her eyes widen with the realization of what just happened.

"Riley, I'm so sorry." She shakes her head and tears begin to fill her eyes.

"Uh–It's okay.. It was… an adventure." One I never want to take again. I stand up and turn in a slow circle looking for a distraction, just then there's a knock on my door. I glance at Melanie and she looks at me nervously.

"I don't feel–" And she pukes. On my couch. Right where I was sitting. I go to my door and open it. I'm glaring down at…Darcy?

"Darcy," I whisper, "What's wrong? It's past curfew."

"I need to talk to you." She says.

"Uh.." I look over my shoulder at Melanie now sobbing on the couch. Shit, Darcy can't know what just happened. I need to get Melanie to calm down. "You need to get to the dormitory… We can talk in the morning." I say.

"But it's–" She shakes her head, "I need you."

"Come back in the morning, okay?" I say softly as I glance over my shoulder, Melanie is full on wailing on about how she's a shit friend. "Oh my god–"

"But, Riley–"

"Darcy–I don't have time right now." I snap and close the door. I hurry back to Melanie and peel her off the floor. She smells like puke. I've got to get her in the shower. I hate puke.

* * *

 **Darcy**

I stare at Riley's door. He just shut me out. I told him I needed him and it's like he didn't even hear me. He didn't even want to hear what I need to say. It took me forty-five minutes to get up here. He said he'd take care of me. He lied. Shame washes over me like a tidal wave. He got what he wanted and now he's… I'm nothing to him.

I go to the stairwell and start back down, a particularly sensitive welt flares my nerves and I miss a step. I cling to railing but my hands slip and I fall onto my back. I gasp and cry.

"Darcy?" I open my eyes and look at Eric standing at the bottom of the flight of stairs.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I choke.

He starts up the steps toward me and I hold up my hand. I don't want his help. "Are you okay?" He asks and his tone is kind. It's weird. And it breaks me. I sob suddenly and cover my face with my hand.

"Just go away." I whisper.

"Let me help you up." He says flatly. I shake my head and when he places his hand on the back of my hips I scream and he flinches away. "What the fuck is wrong? Did you break something?" I can't answer him I'm crying. I blink away the tears in time to see him get a stern look on his face and grab my forearms. He pulls me up and I gasp and stumble down the remaining steps. Eric is trying to get me to stand but it's too much. I pool at his feet and feel his fingers let go of my arms as I cry. "You're just having a fucking breakdown? Here?"

"No." I whimper.

"You're pathetic."

"I know I am." I squeak. My throat is so tight it hurts.

I can feel his eyes glaring down at me. I'm too busy willing my heart to stop beating. Eric sighs irritably, "Whatever, go back to the dorms when you're done having your little sob party." He starts up the stairs and I continue lying there.

I feel sorry for myself for another twenty minutes before I get up. …which takes another five fucking minutes.

When I get back to the dorm I don't bother undressing. I fall onto my bed face first and I think I black out.

Morning comes swiftly. We have a free day and I just lie there staring at the wall feeling void of emotion as everyone else talks and laughs. Slowly the other initaites dwindle out of the dorm and I'm left to myself. My thoughts. I hate it here. I hate… I… I'm too wrecked inside to even hate. I don't have the energy. Okay…I have enough energy to hate Four, but that's about it right now.

I had more nightmares last night about my father and about Hank and then a new one about Four. I could hear things slamming, glasses shattering. People yelling my name as I leaned against my old bedroom door after locking it. Trying to escape the monsters. Always in my dreams I hear him. My father. He talks to me calmly and tells me things. After my nightmares fade I get time with him. But it's never long enough. I always wake in the middle of one of his stories; it's like when sitting to have tea with a person I love but someone interrupts by knocking on the doorframe. Our conversations end abruptly when I look away to see who has knocked. I always come back to reality without him.

I must've dozed off because the dormitory door slams and I sit up stiffly mumbling something I can't even understand. Someone has just left. My eyes are painfully dry and my throat is hoarse. I'm alone. I should take this opportunity to shower.

I bathe quickly and wrap my towel around my body very tight. The towel is soft but still aggitates the freshly heated welts on my back and thighs. Four got enjoyment out of it. What sicko gets enjoyment out of beating others that are smaller and helpless against them? Hank. I thought I had gotten away from that.

It's nearly noon when I leave the dorm. I'm not sure where to go. I will not be going to see Riley. He's probably busy with Melanie again. I wander out onto the roof and the open air gives me a little bit of solace. Some peace to my thoughts.

Out here I begin to sort through my mind. Four is a sick bastard. Riley is… distracted. Too distracted for me which proves that he doesn't like me as much as I'd… hoped? That's fine. It's not, but… whatever. I look over the ledge and try to determine how much it would hurt if someone was to survive the fall.

I jump when I hear the heavy steel door shut behind me. I watch Eric storm over to the ledge. He hasn't even noticed me. I keep staring at him until he looks at me. His expression softens to confusion.

"You gonna jump?" We ask in unison. He scoffs quietly and drags a hand down his face.

"I'm not jumping today." I say tiredly.

"Me either." He mumbles.

"I mean.. If you want to let me know when you decide though, I'll schedule my jump for a different day." I sigh as I turn back to the ledge. Eric laughs and I try to commit it to memory because I'll likely never hear it again.

"You're a strange one." He says.

"So I've been told." I nod. I shouldn't have slept in so long. We're quiet for a few minutes. The silence isn't awkward. Really it's just as though we're two people that happened to end up in the same place and nothing really needs to be said.

"Were…" Eric clears his throat and I look at him. "Are–are you okay?"

"Hm? Yeah." I nod. "I'm fine. Sorry about last night. I fell.. and just… I was just being stupid." I don't want to talk about me. I don't want to talk about Melanie, but she seems like a safer bet than myself. "I talked to Melanie yesterday."

"You did?" He asks, his eyes light up at the sound of her name.

"Yeah. She uhm.. she–well she cried a lot. But she also… kind of talked." I say. I'm not going to get any better at this social thing.

"Did she tell you what happened?" He asks quietly.

"Yeah. She did."

His eyes drop to the ground and he doesn't seem to know where to look. "Look she…" I sigh, "She loves you…like…a lot. Still. It's not like it's just going to go away."

"It should. I don't deserve her love."

"Everybody deserves love." I say, "Well, I mean, most everyone. You deserve it, I think."

"You don't even know me."

"Yeah. You're right." I say quietly. "She said you used to be really nice. But…" I shrug, I'm so not motivated to live right now. "I don't know. Whatever, man."

I turn and go for the door. I want away from all the drama for a bit. I'm going to go lie down again.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello, Dauntless Muffins, here's another chapter for you in which Eric and Melanie try to deal with their emotions and feelings. Thank you for the reviews and PMs, and remember that i will always answer you (except if youre a guess. Unfortunately I cannot answer you then, but it only takes a few minutes to register here on FFN). Have a terrific day and see you on Monday! xoxox**

* * *

 **Eric**

Melanie's screams fill the air as I run. They become frantic, terrorised. I pump my legs harder and I finally see her – on the train tracks. She's grabbing at her foot. An agonizing horror seizes my heart and squeezes it painfully when I see the cause of her panic. The train is rapidly approaching and Mel is screaming because... No, no, NO! She's fucking stuck with her shoe!

No matter how hard I run, no matter if I sprout wings, I won't reach her in time, there isn't enough time left. My throat is burning with every rushed breath and my lungs want to burst.

This is worse than any fear landscape my mind could conjure. Her screams are all I hear.

No, please, god...

The train passes me. I lose sight of her and suddenly her screams stop. "Melanie!" I scream willing the train to just fucking stop. Please stop! My whole body trembles violently like the sound of the train shaking its rails. I stumble, my hand grasping my chest as I cry her name again. The train passes and I look at her. Oh my god…

Motionless, but still in one piece.

I sprint forward as if I really have grown wings. She got her foot free of her shoe and the train passed her. I drop on my knees and pull her limp body to me, frantically calling her name while checking her for any signs of fatal trauma. There are only darkening bruises and welts on her neck, caused by me.

"Melanie," I sniff and press her closer against me, my vision becomes blurry as realisation hits me.

I did this. I caused her panic and made her run. It is because of me that she almost died. I have betrayed her in the worst possible way. I almost killed her. I did this to my sweet Melanie.

I am truly a monster...

* * *

She is sitting on my couch with her arms around her legs and her face hidden from me. I'm on the coffee table, staring at her. Never before have I thought it possible to feel such crippling shame, such absolute self-loathing when my eyes register the swelling and bruising on her throat. I don't know what to say. I don't trust myself. I carried her back here and now she won't speak to me.

"Melanie..." I whisper, and touch her foot. She moves away from me and I wince when a sharp stab of pain cuts through my chest at her rejection.

"Riley... I want Riley," she says hoarsely in a cold voice. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Melanie, please..." I try to touch her again and she pulls away at me. I fall backwards and swallow thickly.

"I said. I want. Riley," she growls. "Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me."

This can't be happening... "Mel, please-"

"Riley!" she screams, over and over again, as soon as I move towards her. I stand up and back away from her. Seconds later there's pounding at my door. I go and answer it, and come face to face with Riley.

"The fuck are you doing in here?" he growls as he shoves his way past me. As soon as he sees Melanie he turns back to me and I stagger backwards. His face is terrifying mask of rage and hatred when his hand grabs my throat.

"Riley wait-" I choke out as he slams me against the wall. "I didn't mean to-"

"Riley, don't hurt him!" Melanie cries out.

"You will go to my apartment and you will fucking wait there!" he yells at her and it takes me back to my initiation days. Melanie hurries out, sobbing hysterically. Fuck. He's going to kill me. He's making her leave because he's going kill me. His head turns slowly back to me and I see an anger there I haven't seen in long time. "Better start explaining, boy."

"I love her." I grab his wrist as his hand tightens around my throat.

"That's not what love looks like," he growls. "You stay the fuck away from her, you hear me, or I swear I'll call Gunner right now to finish you off."

"You know I would never hurt her on purpose," I say. My voice breaks and I'm trying not to cry like a fucking child, but fuck, I'm about to.

He lets me go and I fall to the floor, gasping for air. "She loves you, Eric! No matter what she did, she didn't deserve this."

"Riley, there's going to be surveillance footage," I whisper when he is about to leave. "If Max sees that... he'll kill me."

"Max will be the least of your concern then, you sick fuck!" he hisses venomously. "You're... you're one of my best friends and even I don't know who you are anymore, man."

"Riley, please..." I can't stop shaking. "If you don't want to help me, then at least help her. Help Melanie. If words got out, she'll be devastated, man."

He looks down at me for a long moment. "You get your shit together, Eric, and I'll get the footage. If you ever fucking do this again, I'll kill you myself."

The next moment I'm alone and I just want to die...

* * *

 **Melanie**

"Here, drink this," Riley says softly as he jabs the straw into the med pack. He carefully hands me the laminated foil pouch and I take a sip of the medical nutrition. The shot the nurse just gave me is already working like a charm because I don't feel any pain when I swallow the fruity substance, but it feels like a boulder is lodged inside my throat.

I feel miserable and downright awful, like I got run over by a train. Oh, wait... that actually almost happened...

I shudder violently like I'm about to have a seizure and Riley reacts immediately. He turns my head to the left with one hand while picking up the bucket beside the gurney with his other.

I empty my stomach while he rubs my back with soothing circles until I finish dry heaving. A nurse rushes into the small room, but Riley waves her away.

Panic flutters in my chest when my larynx cramps up and I quickly close my eyes and sag against him as I try to concentrate on my breathing.

"It was expected, Mel, don't worry about it," he says gently. "Let's get you out of here and I'll make you something to eat. I'm just glad you're going to be okay in a few days' time."

I tilt my head to look at him. He looks about as awful as I'm feeling. He is too pale and there are dark circles beneath his eyes. Having him playing nurse isn't the worst that has happened to me, but it is the raw sadness in his eyes whenever he looks at me that fucking kills me - it reminds me too much of Eric because he had the same look on his face when I left him.

I miss him so much, and it's killing me because I'm so fucking afraid of him right now. I just want to wake up from this fucking nightmare because with each second that passes I'm more and more convinced that I'll be stuck forever in this hell.

I begin to cry once again and Riley immediately wraps his strong arms around me. I'm so done with all the crying, but it seems that I can't stop, no matter what I do.

"Is the painkiller not working?" Riley asks me, worried.

"I miss him, Riley!"

"Oh, for fuck sake, Melanie!" he snaps angrily. "Don't you dare crying over him! Don't you fucking dare!"

"But I love him!" I wheeze as I clutch his shirt and crunch the fabric between my trembling fingers.

"Fuck him. He never deserved you and your love in the first place."

"If he doesn't deserve love then neither do we," I sob.

"Maybe we don't, Mel," Riley sighs and presses his lips on my forehead. "I'm sorry you had to go through this."

"I've never seen him this angry, Riley," I cry. "I don't know what happened… I-I don't understand…"

"Let's get out of here, sweetheart. We'll talk about it another time."

I nod while wiping my nose and drying my eyes, and slide of the gurney while he quietly talks to the nurse who hands him a bag of med packs and painkillers. She eyes me warily, her curiosity blatant on her face, but I refuse to make eye-contact with her.

As soon as he ushers me into his apartment, I sink to the floor, and begin bawling my eyes out. Riley picks me up effortlessly and carry me into his bedroom where he sits down with me on his bed and just holds me until I fall asleep against him.

* * *

Eric

Just as I step out of my apartment, Riley walks into the hallway and sees me. I brace myself when he approaches me. He still looks pissed, but exhaustion is more prominent on his pale face. I think he aged at least ten years since last night.

"How is she?" I ask him nervously.

He sighs, then shakes his head while glaring a me. "She's hurt, hysterical, and afraid. What did you expect, Eric? A song and a dance?"

He nods with his head to my front door and I reopen it to let us into my place. Riley close the door behind him and lean against it with his arms crossed. "I'm going to take care of the footage. Let's hope that no one has informed Max yet about this mess you've gotten yourself into, man." He looks at me for a moment, then sigh again. "Tell me what happened."

I cast my eyes down and stare at my trembling hands. I can still feel them around her neck; feel the rage that made me do this to her. "Four showed me footage of her and this kid... they were kissing and I just lost it."

"What kid, and what footage?" Riley demands.

Shame courses through my veins when I answer him. "The same kid that was dry-humping her at the party in the Pit."

"For fuck sake, Eric... All this because some kid kissed her? Pull your head out of your ass for a moment and look around you! We're at Dauntless, for fuck sake! In every corner and niche you see people getting their freak on! So, what? Melanie is a beautiful girl and she's popular, you know that. Just like you know that she loves you, and only you."

I shake my head, still not looking at him. "She kissed him first..."

It is silent for a while before he speaks again. "Did you ask her why?"

I nod. "She was drunk. The entire group was."

"Good enough reason, considering the fact they're a bunch of horny eighteen years old!" he yells at me. "That's what they do, man! But that's not a reason for you to lose it like this. Of all the people I know you're last one to act before you think. What else happened?"

"Nothing," I whisper hoarsely. As if what had happened wasn't enough.

"When did this happen?"

I rub my face with both hands and I can't believe how drained I'm feeling. "I got the call shortly after I left your place."

"Fuck, you were drunk out of your skull when you left."

My eyes finally go to him. "No, I wasn't!"

He raises an eyebrow and gives me a deadpanned stare. "Considering the fact that you tried to strangle the girl you claim you love, I would say that you were." He checks his watch and clenches his jaw. "I better be going. Inform Lauren about the attack and tell the group that training will begin after lunch. I'll see you at the office after that. I'll go after any possible footage there might be of the two of us, and ask Four about the shit he showed you. If this blows out of hand, we could at least frame the poor horny fucker for this."

There is one more thing I need to know. "How is Mel? I mean..."

"Only bruises and swelling, nothing serious," he says wearily, and relief washes over me, almost knocking me off my feet. "You could've snapped her neck like a twig, but you didn't so there must've been some sense left in you somewhere. But she is terrified of you, Eric, and I can't blame her."

"Please tell her that—"

Riley points a finger at me and the words die on my lips. "Saying that you're sorry isn't going to help you now, Eric. You better come up with something genuine that will prove her, and me, that you'll never do this again. Until then, you stay the fuck away from her."

* * *

I try to ignore the worried looks the Dauntless-born initiates are giving Lauren and me when I take her aside in the Arena and tell her that training will be postponed after lunch.

She frowns and my eyes are drawn to the piercings in her eyebrow. "What's going on, Eric? The kids were restless the minute they got here, and Melanie is nowhere to be found."

I clench my jaw and give her a brusque nod. "She has been attacked last night."

She gasps and quickly pulls me with her to put more distance between us and the group. "When? What the fuck happened?"

"I don't know yet," I lie numbly. "All I know is that Riley has taken her to the infirmary and she is staying with him for the time being. I'll inform you as soon as I know more."

She nods and her eyes are bright with anger which reignites my shame. "Was she badly hurt?"

For the millionth time I feel Melanie's neck caught between my squeezing hands and I quickly clasp my hands behind my back to hide the shaking. "She'll be fine. Only some swelling and bruises."

Lauren sighs with relief. "I'll inform the group. You go find the bastard who did this to her."

I almost laugh – almost. But the overwhelming sensation of wanting to barf my brains out is too great.

Max isn't in the office when I arrive a few minutes later, and I don't know whether it is a good sign or not.

I sit down behind my desk and don't know what I'm doing here. I don't want to be here, but I don't want to go back to my apartment. I just want to see Melanie. I want to see and hear her, and know that she is going to be alright.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and delete the recordings I've made of her voice. It seems a lifetime ago, but it has only been a couple of days.

I think back to Saturday, of everything I had said and done to her, and the shame and self-loathing flare up with a vengeance.

I've always had trouble with the attention she receives from other guys even though she has never given me any reason to think that she was interested in others. She's been in love with me for as long I can remember – so what changed? Did I? Or is this who I truly am?

If so, then she really shouldn't be anywhere near me, even though I feel like I'm dying without her.

"You're not thinking about calling her, are you?" Riley asks me in a strange tone of voice.

I startle. Didn't even hear him entering the office. "No," I sigh, and I lay my phone down on the desk and grab a file.

"Good."

There is a tension in the air that is almost palpable, but no of us is willing to acknowledge it presence as Riley sits down and we begin to do our work. I guess he knows me better than I thought. I sigh again when a dull throbbing pain starts behind my right eyes.

This is hell...

* * *

The door comes almost out of its hinges when Gunner bursts into the office and I instinctively rise and brace myself when he comes into my direction with a crazed look in his eyes. Oh, fuck he knows. He is most definitively a son of Melody and Marcus right now – and one of the last people I want to see.

"Where is she?" he roars. "What happened?"

"Gunner, close the door and sit your ass down," I say through gritted teeth while massaging the bridge of my nose. The headache has steadily grown worse and I'm starting to see double. "Melanie is fine. She's staying with Riley as a precaution until we know what has happened."

Gunner glares like a rabid dog at me. "What. Happened?"

"She got attacked last night." I raise my hand to stop him when he opens his mouth to speak. "Nothing serious, just some bruising and swelling. It was more likely a prank gone bad or a warning, we don't know yet."

Lying has always been one of my best traits, and my self-loathing reaches a new height.

He drops down on one of the chairs near the door. "Mel can fight, Eric. Either they surprised her, attacked her from behind, or it was a bigger guy." I hear her screams again, and I shudder. "You okay, man? You look like shit."

I snort and shake my head. "She... uh... called me after it happened and I brought her home with me. So, no, I'm not okay, actually."

"I thought she was with Riley?"

"She can't stay with me," I sigh. "She's afraid Max is going to find out about us. She's safe with Riley. Did you talk with him?"

He shakes his head and rubs his face. "Not yet. As soon as I heard I came straight here. My parents are all over the place with worry."

I sit down again and lean against the back of my office chair. I don't think that I would survive a confrontation with Melody. She would see straight through me and kill me with her bare hands.

"Tell them that Melanie is going to be fine. Just give her some time, okay? She's an initiate now, and faction rules are strict in this matter: no family visits are allowed."

He pulls two cigarettes out of his pocket and throws one at me. "Look. man, I'm sorry I lost it last night," he sighs. "I've always known that she loved you, but not once did I notice that the feelings were mutual. I mean, when did it start?"

"If you're trying to find out when we 'sealed out bond'," I snort humourlessly, "it was last week. I meant it when I said that I love her. I just shouldn't had let you hear about it in the shittiest way possible. And don't worry; I've erased it."

"I'm traumatised for life, bro." He shuddered and once again I'm reminded of Melanie and her exaggerated manner of speech. God, I miss her... "But thanks."

"You're okay with it?" I ask him carefully. "I mean, with Mel and me?"

He studies me closely for a long gruesome moment, then shakes his head. "I still don't know, man. I've known you for quite some time now, and you have a certain way with women. I guess that what I'm trying to tell you is that you'll need to convince me that you're serious about my sister."

I am. The only problem is that I only realised that after losing her. A sharp stab of pain in my head and chest makes me wince. I'm such a fool…

* * *

Melanie

I try to sit still on the barstool while Riley is preparing dinner for us, but I'm feeling too restless – like there are a million ants crawling all over my body just beneath.

I managed to sleep for a couple of hours after Riley left for work, but I woke up crying after dreaming about Eric. And telling Darcy what had happened, has been another assault on my nerves and sanity.

"How is he?" I ask Riley.

He turns his head to look at me, and when I see the look on his face I immediately regret my stupid question. "Why do you ask?"

"I just want to know if he's alright, that's all," I sniff, and I quickly brush my tears away. I feel pathetic and weak for crying once again, but I can't stop myself.

"Would you feel any better if I told you that he's in a far worse state than you are?" he asks while piling the pork chops and baked potato slices onto two plates.

My stomach growls, but I'm too nauseous to eat. I shrug. "I guess, yeah."

Riley snorts. "Well, in that case—" He places one plate in front of me and hands me a knife and fork "—eat."

"Riley!" I whine. Can't he see this is hard enough as it is for me? It's been days since I last saw Eric, and every second I'm dying some more.

He sits down on my right and sigh. "He's miserable – as he should be. And that's all you'll hear from me. Eat."

My stomach growls louder when I try one potato slice, and to my surprise my hunger just expands and takes over. After wolfing down half of my meal, I look at Riley. "Thank you for allowing Darcy to visit me, by the way."

"I think she would've broke the door down if I'd have said no." He shrugs, trying to look nonchalant, but I notice a not so subtle tensing of his broad shoulders.

"So, you and Darcy... There, halfway there, or not even close?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," he says while moving his food around with his fork.

"You do know what I mean," I sigh as I watch him closely. I only wanted to have some small talk, but my question obviously struck a nerve.

His eyes meet mine and he shakes his head. "What?"

"You like her," I say quietly. "I know you do."

"Yeah, she's a very nice girl."

For a moment I'm confused. What has happened between them? "Okay… Who have you been fucking then if it's not Darcy?"

"That's none of your business, Mel," he says evenly.

"I'm making it my business. Who is she?"

"No one you know."

He is really making this hard for me. "What does she look like?"

"She's got uh..." He shakes his head and looks around. "Brown hair. Brown eyes. There."

"She sounds hideous," I joke and he gives me a half-hearted smirk. "Anyway, I was thinking of going back down to the dorm tomorrow. Get out of your hair and lair."

"If you're comfortable to go back." he shrugs hesitantly.

"I am," I sigh. "I mean, I think I am. I feel like an intruder here, Riley. Plus…well… you know, your neighbour being…"

His eyes soften. "I understand, Mel. No need for explanations."

* * *

A few hours I leave him while he's vast asleep in his bed. I can't believe that I kissed him. I've made a proper ass of myself. Shame consumes me like wildfire as I sneak out of his apartment and make my way back to the dorm.

First Jace and now Riley.

What am I doing?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

No wonder Eric got so angry with me. It's all my fault.

I stop in front of the door to the dorm and lean against the wall when the first sob escapes me. The truth is that I don't want to be here. I don't want to stay with Riley. I don't want to see my parents. I want… Eric.

Before I lose my courage, I speed-dial him and press my phone against my ear. His phone rings once and the next second I hear his voice resonating through my soul when he breathes my name.

"Melanie, what's wrong?" he asks me worriedly when I begin to sob louder.

"Everything," I whisper as I close my eyes. I slide against the wall until I'm sitting on the ground.

"Talk to me, Mel," he says quietly. "Please…"

"I miss you, and I hate because y-you hurt me. And I'm scared, but I can't be with you because you're the one I'm scared of, and I hate feeling this way. I-I shouldn't be feeling this way about you. And-and maybe it's my fault-"

"No, Melanie, stop it!" he interrupts me and I clasp my hand over my mouth to stifle my loud sobs. He sounds so broken, and it's breaking my heart. "Everything I did and said… my actions… all of it is my fault. You have done nothing wrong, Mel."

"I kissed Jace, Eric," I whisper. "It is my fault. I shouldn't had done that. I should've stayed after training, like you ordered me to, but instead I reacted like the stupid girl that I am."

"Don't," Eric sighs. "Don't take my guilt and make it yours, Mel. I hurt you and there isn't anything that will ever justify what I did to you. I'm so sorry for hurting and scaring you like this. You'll never know how much I try to be the man you deserve, Melanie."

I gasp as I end the call. I stumble to get up and then I just run through the tunnels. My phone beeps almost nonstop as I run back to the leaders' apartments but I don't stop running.

What I have to say to Eric isn't something to discuss over the phone. Now more than ever, scared shitless or not, I just need to see him and say it to his face.

I knock on his door and practically falls into his arms when Eric yanks the door open with considerable force. I push him away from me, kick the door shut behind me and I just completely lose it.

"You stupid, stupid asshole! I want you, Eric – you! Everything! The whole package!" I yell and with every word I jab him in the chest with my finger. "I never wanted someone else, and I never ever wanted you to be something that you're not! So how dare you play that card on me? How dare you trying to make me hate myself for loving you?"

With every jab in his chest he takes a small step backwards and I follow him relentlessly.

"Why would you?" he asks incredulously, and in that moment I suddenly see that he honestly cannot believe that I still love him. Yeah, well, that makes two of us.

"Because just seeing you makes me happy, for fuck sake!" I yell, and in the back of my mind I know that I won't have a voice left for the rest of the month. But that doesn't stop me. I have to tell him what's on my mind before it fucking kills me. "Because I feel alive whenever you glare at me. Because I feel complete whenever you touch me. There isn't anything logical about it. I just love you, you stupid fuck!" Suddenly all anger leaves me just as fast as it had appeared and I just feel so empty. "It's not like I'm your first girlfriend. Why is it so hard for you to accept my love?"

"Because I've never felt this way before, Melanie," he whispers tersely. "You are my everything. And the thought that I could've lost you is-"

"—something you should stop thinking about!" I snap angrily. "You hurt me and scared me and I hate you for it because fear should never ever be in our relationship and… Fuck, I forgot what I wanted to say… Fuck!"

Eric raises his eyebrows and gives me an amused look. "Take your time – it's only three AM."

I narrow my eyes at him and he swallows thickly. "I've known you for six years, Eric, and during those years we've become close friends. And whenever you got angry with me I feared your anger, but I never feared you – until you tried to strangle me."

"Mel, I— "

I shake my head, and he closes his mouth and clenches his jaw. "When they told me in the infirmary that I wasn't seriously hurt, I wasn't happy, or didn't feel relieved. You know why?" He shakes his head slowly when my first tears begin to fall. "Because I suddenly realised that you literally hold my life in your hands and that you can kill me whenever it fucking pleases you."

"I would ne— "

"You don't have to kill me, Eric," I whisper through a tight throat. "Knowing that you can is enough. It is that realisation, that fact, that stands now between us. I've never lost my trust in you before…"

"Until now." He grimaces as he looks away.

I wipe my tears away and a bitter laugh suddenly escapes me. "Yep, until now."

"So, what now?"

"I'm going back to the dorm to try to get some sleep," I tell him as I walk back the front door. "I'll leave the thinking to you. I'm done thinking and feeling shitty. I just want to sleep and wake up next year or something."

His face becomes unreadable again. "Let me walk you back." It's only then that I realise that he's still fully clothed, gleaming tied boots and all. I shake my head. "It is past your curfew, Melanie. Faction rules."

"No," I say firmly and he stops just a few feet away from me. "I don't trust you, Eric, not even as my leader. Just stay away from me."


	21. Chapter 21

**I've been bombarded with PMs of readers begging me to post more often, just in the same week my co-writer and I decided to end our story after chapter 36 ( I just posted ch. 34 on Tumblr).**

 **So, I desperately would like to know whether I should really post 3 times a week or stick with the current schedule of twice a week? I'm only asking this because I want you all to realise that three times a week would be mean that the story is going to end in four weeks time (instead of 6 to 7 weeks). It's your call, people! Let me know!**

 **So, this chapter is a kind of a bonus chapter in which Darcy and Eric bond, and Four is being a not so nice person. BUT the most important thing is the introduction of a new character! Enjoy, review, tell me your thoughts, enjoy your weekend, and see you all on Monday xoxox**

* * *

 **Riley**

Days have gone by and I haven't spoken to Darcy. I've been making sure Melanie has been keeping up on her training and even attended some therapy sessions - aka attacking a punching bag until she feels better.

Melanie is sitting on the couch as I make some breakfast. She's going to go back to training today and I've posted a guard outside of the dormitory. Then I'll finally be able to have Darcy over for more than just a few minutes.  
She never came back to talk to me. She must be hanging out with that Peter kid. I don't like him, but I'm not worried. I'm certain Darcy is settled on me, and I'm pretty settled on her. I wander into the dirty part of my mind thinking about her on her knees looking up at me. I had wanted so bad to just really… fuck her face. Though I prefer to kiss it as I'm inside her. She likes it when I do that. She doesn't say so, but I can tell.

The knock on the door brings me from my indecent reverie and I set the pan onto a different burner as I go to answer it. Darcy looks up at me for a second then her eyes fall quickly. "I was wondering if I could talk to Melanie," she says. I nod and let her in.

There's something wrong with her. I look at her and some how I can tell she hasn't been eating or sleeping. Melanie hugs her and starts talking about girl shit. What has she been doing? There are dark circles under her eyes.  
"You want some breakfast, Darcy?" I ask.

"No, thank you. I'm not hungry." She says and turns back to Melanie.

They sit on the couch, Darcy is sitting with her back straight and is clearly uncomfortable. She smiles though.

"You got a phone?" Melanie chirps and she nods.

"Yeah, I thought you could give me your number." Darcy says handing the phone to Melanie. How'd she get a phone? Or when, I guess.

"I'll add all the numbers you need." Melanie says. "Ew, you only have Four's number." She laughs.

"Yeah." Darcy laughs and runs a hand through her hair. Why does she have Four's number?

"Melanie, food is ready." I set a plate out for her. The girls come over and sit at the breakfast bar. I lean against the counter holding my plate as I watch Darcy. She watches Melanie eat. She doesn't look well and she doesn't look at me. Perhaps she's sick.

I walk with the girls downstairs and notice Darcy walking strangely down the steps. She almost falls and then laughs and says that she's sore from training. She's fucking lying about something. I can feel it. Melanie splits from us and I turn and look at Darcy.

"What?" She looks up at me and folds her arms in that shielding way she has.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Plenty of things I guess," she mumbles.

"I mean why are you walking funny?" I snap.

"What are you talking about?" she whispers.

I look her in the eyes and maybe I'm just overthinking things. She could've just gotten hurt during training and I didn't notice. I haven't noticed her hardly at all for the past few days. I feel shitty for it. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." She turns and starts down the hallway towards the training room. I watch her and only her as she trains and before I know it lunchtime is here.

"Wanna walk together?" I ask her and she looks up at me like she doesn't even know me.

"Huh? Uhm.. I'm not hungry," she says. "I'm just going to go hang out on the roof for a bit. See you later."

Something is definitely wrong. "Darcy, wait." She stops and turns back to me. "Come with me."

"Do I have to?" She asks.

"Yes." If I have to pull rank on her then I will. I need to know whats wrong. "We're going to get some lunch and go for a walk."

She is mad at me, I can tell by the way her green eyes burn into mine as I tell her this. I don't care if she's angry.  
I grab a couple sandwiches from the kitchens while Darcy waits in the hallway. When I return to her I'm happy she didn't decide to run off. I would've found her anyway. I think I could find her if I was blindfolded in the dark. We leave the compound and head east.

"I'm sorry I've been so busy lately," I say.

"It's okay," she mumbles as she watches her feet with her hands in her sweater pockets. She's limping slightly.

"Here," I hand her the sandwiches, "Hop on." I crouch down and she is hesitant, but she lets me carry her.  
As I hold onto her legs I can tell she's lost a little bit of weight. Has she not been eating at all? Her arms hang over my shoulders and she's humming something, probably lost in her thoughts.

"How far are we going?" Her voice is soft and I can't believe I've forgotten already how sweet it is.

"Not much further," I say. I'm taking her to the picnic spot my mother used to take me when I was little.

Another five minutes and we're there. It's a small grassy area with a couple trees. I let her down gently and take my coat off to spread it on the grass for us to sit. I pull her down to sit between my legs. She won't lean against me. I want her to, but I hear the smallest of groans escape her lips. Maybe she is sore from training. She crosses her legs and unwraps her sandwich and I wrap my arms around her middle.

"Riley, what's so special about this place?" she asks as she pulls the pickles from her sandwich.

"I used to come here with my mother," I whisper against her neck. She has a smell to her that makes my body want to hold tight to hers. I inhale deeply, closing my eyes and burying my face into her hair.

"Getting comfortable?" she asks distantly.

"Yep." I hadn't realized how stressed I've been now that I'm with her I'm completely relaxed.

"Riley…" she starts, but then seconds later shakes her head.

"What is it, love?"

"Nothing. Nevermind." I can feel her trembling. It's so faint.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"It's nothing." She takes a bite of her sandwich and I decide I'll try again in a little while. Maybe on our way back.

"Darcy, I want you to be mine," I say quietly.

She chews slowly and waiting for her to say something I feel like my lungs are going to shrivel up while I hold my breath. "I haven't had sex with anyone else," she says.

"That's not what I mean–Well, kind of it is, but what I mean is–"

"I know what you mean and I don't think it's a good idea." She looks at me over her shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because I'm an initiate. There are rules." She shakes her head.

"I am well aware of the rules."

"Then why don't you follow them?"

"Because I don't give a shit," I snap quietly. "I want you. Fuck the rules. It's not fair that Eric can have his cake and eat it too–"

"That is a horrible metaphor," she giggles. "And his cake is not talking to him right now. He scared his cake." She giggles harder.

I hug her tighter, "Fuck, you're adorable and I don't give a shit who knows how I feel. Say you'll be mine, Darcy."

She turns her head and I watch her eyes look away. "What's that sound?"

I listen and hear it too. I hold her sandwich as she gets up and looks around in the bushes nearby.

"Holy fuck," she gasps. "Oh my goodness… Riley!"

"What is it?" I ask as I watch her bend over. She stands up and I look at the puppy in her hands. Oh no.

"No." I shake my head as her eyes meet mine. "No, no, no! Put it back."

"Riley, look at him." She smiles, ignoring my order. "He's so tiny. He's hungry."

"So are the crows. Let them–"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," she snaps while looking down at the furry thing.

"Darcy, where are you going to keep a puppy?" I ask.

"You can keep him for me, can't you?" She smiles as she brings it over. She lowers herself onto my lap and I look down at it between us. It's licking her fingers as it whines. "I promise I'll come over every day and teach him stuff and I'll help train him. Please, Riley?" How can I tell her no when she looks at me like that? I clench my jaw trying to keep my answer in.

"Fine," I mumble. "You come over every day after training and play with him. And if he pisses on the carpet I'm making you clean it."

"Deal," she squeals happily and hugs the puppy. "He is so precious. He needs a name."

I look down at him. He's a good looking pup. I'm trying to remember the breed he is. He looks like a German Shepherd. He's probably a mutt mix of it.

"I like Socks," Darcy whispers transfixed.

"Socks?" I look back at her, "He doesn't have any socks though, Darce."

"I don't care," she grins, shaking her head.

"How about ….Edgar."

"Edgar? No. That's–it's Socks, Riley." The puppy has started licking her face.

 _Socks_. "Fine."

Fucking ridiculous name for a dog. She leans forward and kisses me suddenly. The puppy squirms between us as I grab her arms to keep her there for a little longer. She moans into my mouth and I feel a sharp pain in my forearm.

"Ah, little fucker…" I lean back and look at Socks then back to Darcy when she starts laughing. Laughing at me. I pull her back and stifle her laughter with my own lips. I don't care when he bites me again because Darcy's got one hand in my hair and I have my tongue in her mouth. "Be mine." I say between kisses. She shakes her head.

"I can't," she whispers. Fuck. No.

"No." I shake my head, "Darcy, don't–" She stands up off my lap and I fall back into the grass and cover my face with my hands. I could claw my eyes out right now. I want to kick my legs and scream like a toddler having a tantrum.

"Riley, we can't do that. We'd get in trouble–"

"We'd get in trouble if they knew I fucked you silly already!" I snap. "So just fucking be mine." I can feel that anger rising in me. The kind that scares me. And suddenly I understand Eric a tiny bit better.

"We should get back."

I stare upwards to the sky. I can't win this right now. "Okay..." I mumble.

She's completely engulfed by that furry runt. Like I don't even exist.  
I _don't_ exist. Not until she looks at me with that smile. I'm so fucked.  
We get back to my apartment and I set a bowl of water down for Socks. She sets him down next to it and is petting him while he sniffs at the water. I walk into the bedroom and fall onto my bed.

"You okay?" I hear her at the doorway.

"Yeah," I say with my eyes closed. I feel her fall down on the bed next to me and I look over at her staring up at the ceiling.

"Darcy." I say and she looks at me. She must read the look on my face because she shakes her head gently.

"No."

"No." I scoff and roll my eyes as I sit up. For fucks sakes. "Yes," I snap. "You need to be mine."

"I don't need to do anything," she says as she sits up too. I stand up and look down at her.

"You want me." I point a finger at her. She has this desperation in her eyes.

"No–that's not... That isn't logical." She is starting to close in on herself. Pushing me out. "I can't–I'm not strong or brave. There are plenty of other women here that would be better–"

"Fuck off with that," I shout, taking a step towards her, trapping her on the edge of the bed. "You're so busy filling your own head with bullshit about yourself that you don't want to see the truth!"

"The truth!?" She screams at me. "What's the truth?! You fuck off with that." She pushes me to move and she stands up, turns from me and I grab the back of her shirt and yank her back to me. She pushes against my chest and she's right, she's not very strong. "Let me go," she growls up at me.

"No, I want you." I wrap my arms tight around her back and she cries out sharply instantly making me let go. She pushes away from me so hard she falls down still trying to get her breath. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Nothing," she whimpers and I grab her forearm pulling her back up. She fights me as I turn her and pull her shirt up. I feel sick.

"Riley, stop it!"

"What the fuck–who did this to you?" I shout. She shakes her head.

"No one," she cries and I make her face me.

"You better fucking tell me now," I growl inches from her face. She only cries more. "Darcy, fucking tell me–"

"Fuck off!" she screams and yanks her arm free.

"Are you doing it to yourself?!" I yell and it sounds more accusatory than questionable. There's a tugging at my pant leg and I look down at Socks growling at me. His claws clicking on the floor as he vehemently tries to protect her.

"Mind your own fucking business!" Darcy snaps at me, I grab at her arms and she pushes at me again. "Just–take care of Socks... I'll be back tomorrow."

She chokes back a sob and I'm utterly confused. She's hurting herself? How is she even doing that? I don't know how it's possible. She picks Socks up and gives him a hug before setting him back down and mumbling that she loves him. She'll love the fucking dog but not me. The door slams as she leaves.  
Socks looks at me and I can't even be mad at him. He's a cute little shit.

"There's something wrong with our girl, mate," I whisper. I'm going to figure it out.

* * *

 **Darcy**

I'm so fucking worked up right now it's hideous. I'm wiping at my cheeks to get rid of the tears when I see Eric talking to Four. Fucking Eric.

"Darcy," Eric greets me.

"Hi," I sniff.

"You alright?" Four asks.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You've been crying." Four whispers and wraps his arm around my shoulders. What the fuck is he doing? Eric looks between us strangely and I blink hard. "See you later, Eric." Four says and leads me away. I can feel Eric staring at us as we walk down the hall.

"What are you doing, Four?" I ask as I try to push him away, but his arm tightens painfully.

"I'm being friendly." He growls. "So you should fucking accept it."

"I don't want to accept anything from you." I hiss. He glances over his shoulder before his arm comes to my neck and he pulls me close.

"Don't be mad at me, sparky." His breath is hot on my ear and makes me feel sick. "I'm getting a surprise ready for you." He says and I can seriously feel the blood drain from my face. Four lets go of me suddenly and I look down the hallways to see Eric coming.

"I need to talk to Darcy," Eric says and the way he holds his chin up tells Four to scram. Once Four is gone Eric looks down at me and I wait for him to talk.

"You're a nice person, right?" He asks.

"I don't know." I shrug.

"Well, you're Melanie's friend."

What the fuck is he getting at? "So?"

"So you can…" He nods like I'm supposed to fucking understand something. I look at him blankly.

"Are we playing charades or something?" I mumble.

"No." He snaps quietly. "You're going to fucking help me."

"Help you what?"

"Get her back."

"Uhm.. No. I'm not." I shake my head. "Not with that attitude." I fold my arms.

"I'm being nice."

"You're being an asshole." I say flatly. "Say please."

He sighs and drags a hand down his face. Curses me under his breath for about a minute, turns in a circle and then looks at me again.

"Please. Help me." He says sharply.

"I'll think about it." I say as I turn to leave.

"No. You don't get to." He grabs my arm and jerks me to a stop and I look up at him.

"I realize you're a leader, sir, but don't fucking touch me." I say quietly, "I give no shits about you. Or this place."

"You like Riley." Eric says.

"You can go fuck yourself." I whisper.

"So it's true then." He smirks and I would like to fucking hit him and see what he thinks about that.

"What the fuck would that matter?" I snap, "You think I need your help? Riley doesn't want a fucked up girl. Let me go. Let me fucking fall out of initiation and just let. me. be. alone. None of you people get that in your stupid heads. I don't like any of you." I can't stop talking, I'm just saying the meanest shit I can possibly think of. "You want her back? Why? So you can keep fucking it up? Get over it, you're fucking pathetic. People aren't meant to stay together." I yank my arm free and step around him and say over my shoulder, "The sooner you get that through your thick skull, the sooner you'll be better off. Stop relying on other people."

I… really can't believe I just let that all out. Shit. I sense Eric following me and I look over my shoulder at him. I wonder if I can outrun him. Melanie outran him….kinda. He looks angry and before I even think about it I take off. I'm sick of people bossing me around. Telling me what I can and cannot do. Oh Darcy stop running away. Darcy stop setting the neighbor's trashcan on fire. Darcy do this. Darcy do that. Bad Darcy. Bad Darcy. I realize the path I'm taking just as I hit the doors. It's the same way Melanie ran away from Eric.

"Darcy!" He snaps behind me and I jump the rail as soon as I reach it. I'm running for the tracks. I see the noon train coming fast and I know I can beat it. Melanie's never been chased before when her life depended on it and I've done it so many times that it's almost boring. "Darcy stop!"

He's nothing but a leader. A leader is just a person. The train whistle fills my ears as it gets closer and I get closer and I am just dying for it to hit me. Come on. I run and jump just as I hear Eric yell my name. I'm across the tracks feeling the wind of the train rushing inches from my back. And as soon as it passes I'm gone. I'm out of his sight. I'm already half way down the street. I run for minutes. The pain is nullified by the small amount of adrenaline within me.

Eventually I have to stop and catch my breath. I hate it here.

"Are you done?"

"Oh for fucks sakes, man!" I throw my arms up. I look behind me at Eric. He's breathing heavily.

"You thought I'd just let you get away?" He sneers. "You're horrible at evasion."

"You're horrible at a number of things." I quip quietly and walk into the broken building, my shoes crunching the glass as I go. I start up the damaged stairs.

"Where are you going?" He asks.

"That's not something you really care about." I mumble as I skip a missing step and start up the next flight.

"Why are you going up there?"

I don't answer him. I'm so tired of talking so I let the silence and the sound of our footsteps fill the void for a couple minutes.

"Did you know that Four lied to you twice in the hallway? I don't know what you guys were talking about, but he lied to you. He lies a lot just so you know."

"Does he?" Eric is concentrating on where he steps. I stop at the top of the fourth flight of stairs and look at him.

"I don't want to help you." I say and he looks up at me. "But Melanie is my friend–"

"Then you'll convince her to take me back?"

"No." I snort. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"A lot of things."

I stare at him for a moment and then shake my head. Weird. "Look, you're the only one that can convince her to do that."

"I don't know how to do that anymore. I don't know how to get her to not be afraid of me."

"Everyone is afraid of you. Well… almost everyone." I mumble. Eric looks away from me and shakes his head.

"Melanie has never been scared of me before. I really fucked up."

"Yeah, you did." I nod.

"Will you shut up?" He growls.

"What, you want me to talk, you don't want me to talk. You need to make up your mind." I say. I turn and go up another flight of stairs. He'll follow. The next flight is too damaged to even dare it. We walk out into the level and look down at the street below.

"You love her, right?" I whisper as he steps up beside me.

"Yeah."

"Okay." I nod numbly.

"Okay you'll help me?"

"Yeah, whatever." I mumble. "Talk about her."

Eric starts talking and I just listen. Even when I should've been back to training about an hour ago. He's still talking, but he's dwindling away with his words.

We're sitting against the wall throwing chips of glass as we talk back and forth. The conversation sways from subject to subject.

"They say you came in second behind Four." I toss a piece of glass in the pile we've formed.

"Yeah. I'm still angry about it."

"But you're a leader." I shake my head.

"Well… Four didn't want it."

"I don't believe anything you say even when you do tell the truth. When anyone tells the truth. You want to believe you lost to Four." I say quietly. "That's okay. But you know you could've beat him and I can see it in your eyes."

Eric looks away from me. "I've made you uncomfortable." I whisper, "Good. Now you know how everyone else feels when you look at them. You came in second on purpose. You know that the man least remembered is the most dangerous. But you're hardly forgettable. You should look at the one that didn't take the leadership role."

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing. I'm not saying anything." I'm trying to tell you that Four is a fucking weirdo, man. My phone starts ringing and it makes me jump. I look down at it. Melanie. Sheee-it.

"Hey Melanie." I say, Eric's eyes come back to mine.

"Where are you?"

"I'm.. I got in trouble. For… something."

"Well I need to see you." She says.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll be there soon." I end the call. "I have to go listen to her cry more." I close my eyes. "That sounded rude. She needs me is what I mean."

"I'll walk you back."

"Please don't." I shake my head, "I don't want to be seen with you."

"That's rude."

"Yeah it is." I shrug and get to my feet.

* * *

Melanie and I are in the cafeteria sitting at one of the tables. It's just us. She seems like she's in a better mood. Not crying anymore. She's telling me about the fight she got in at lunch.

"I just can't stand people that talk shit like that." She shakes her head and I nod quietly in agreement. "Where were you at lunch?"

"Huh? Oh, I was… I wasn't hungry." I smile weakly and find it hard to swallow without feeling a lump in my throat. I think about Socks and I consider telling her but then I'd have to explain Riley and …me.

"I'm so done with crying. I'm over it, you know?"

"Hm." I nod and tap the top of the water bottle in front of me. I hope Socks is doing alright.

"Have you talked to Riley lately? Like had an actual conversation with him?"

"N-no, I've been so busy training. And besides he's busy doing… whatever." I shrug.

"Or whoever." she rolls her eyes and I look at her. Her eyes flit to me. "Sorry that just fell out."

"What do you mean?" I ask trying to sound aloof and disinterested.

"I don't know.. Everyone thought he was gay but now everyone is saying there's a girl, but no one has caught a glimpse of her yet," Melanie mumbles.

Butterflies. Is that what they're called? That fluttery movement in one's stomach. I've never felt it before Riley. Not even blowing stuff up gives me excitement like he does. I want so badly to tell this to Melanie. I want to be happy like her and… shit.

"Darcy," I look up to see Riley at the door, "We need to go to your class."

"Noooo." I let my forehead thump to the table top. "I don't want to." I whine.

"You have to." Riley says as he approaches the table.

"You can't make me." I say with my head still down.

"I can actually. But I could just as easily carry you there."

I pop back up, "Alright, I'm coming." I chirp. Melanie smiles at me and I raise an eyebrow. She's insinuating again. "I'll text you later, Mel."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

I sit down in a desk and fold my arms, ready for a nap. My mind wanders to Socks as the others talk about their 'issues'. Boring shit. Until… Riley starts talking.

"I haven't had to take one of these classes in years, but I thought I'd talk tonight." He smiles around at everyone. Jolly big bear, he is. "The first time I was 'forced' to come to one of these classes I was fifteen. Essentially it was for anger but then it turned into general therapy. I was pretty angry, yeah, but I was really lost and the anger was the only thing I could come back to."

"Why were you angry, Riley?" The lady asks, I still don't remember her name.

"Well, my mother had just died and my father had turned to drinking as a coping mechanism. He was always an asshole and abusive but it went from verbal to physical." Riley says it so easily and I'm hoping my mouth isn't hanging open like a turkey in the rain. "He was such an old grouch," He chuckles, "He'd hit and kick ya when you were down. Called me worthless all the time. Said I'd never amount to anything. But, look at me." He laughs as he shrugs.

"You've come a long way." She smiles and then turns to me. "Darcy, do you want to say anything this time?"

I look down at my hands on the desk. "I…" I don't know. "I guess.. that I don't really understand what the fuck is wrong with parents." That is not what I want to say. "I mean. They have this position that they fucking created themselves and then they slack off. Or they just disappear." I shake my head, "I don't want to do that…"

"You mean you want to be a good mother–"

"No, I don't want to be a mother at all. I don't want anyone to rely on me because I know I'll let them down. And they'll leave… or I will." I shrug. I can't look at Riley, he's staring at me and I can only stare down at my hands.

"Relationships are a two way street, Darcy." I look up at the guy with the tattoo on his face, I seriously should've paid attention when they said their names the first time. "You can't always try to be the perfect one. You'll only let yourself down. But if someone loves you then they won't see that imperfection, they'll see you as a whole. They'll love you as a whole."

"Then why do people leave?" I ask quietly. "Why would someone leave without a single word to his kids?"

"Sometimes people leave because they need to save themselves." Face tattoo says. "Sometimes you gotta. When a situation gets so unhealthy, you just walk away. Trust me the easy part is making the decision. The hardest part is walking away. When I chose Dauntless, I was leaving my life behind in Abnegation. Not because I was selfish but because I was trying to fill a role I couldn't. I was trying to be something I could never truly transform into. My parents didn't visit me and they didn't let my little brother visit either. It's been ten years and I don't know them anymore but I'm happier here than I ever was there because I got away from things my father would say to me."

His words are very insightful but unfortunately they don't make me feel better. I look down at my hands again, I have nothing more to say.

A girl talks for a little bit and I'm not listening. I don't care. I want to leave. Riley is still fucking staring at me and I wish he would stop. When the class ends I walk out of the room and start down the hall. Riley, of course, with his long fucking legs has no problem catching up with me. "Come see Socks for a little bit." He says.

"Okay." I mumble. I still don't want to look at him. We go to his apartment and I sit on the living room floor playing with Socks. He's so adorable. He's just a happy little fluffy thing and doesn't have a care in the world. I grab the old shirt Riley has tied into a knot for him and we play tug o' war. His little growl is precious and fierce, he believes he is a big dog. I love him so much. After twenty minutes of vigorous play he tires of the shirt and crawls into my lap. He presses his nose against my leg and snorts a couple times before yawning and putting his head down. I pet him until he falls asleep. I scoop him up and take him into the bedroom and lay him on the mattress. He's out for the count.

I come back into the living room and Riley is lounging on the couch. He looks like he's had a long day and I guess he has. I must be hard to deal with. He nods for me to come over and I sit on the couch at the far end from him. "I think he'll be out for a while." I smile.

Riley raises the bottle of beer to his lips as his eyes are trained on me and he takes a long drink. When he takes the bottle away he nods, "Okay." I feel like he's mad at me. I don't want him mad at me.

"Riley, I'm sorry I blew up at you earlier today." I whisper.

He shrugs and looks away disinterested. Shit.

"I'll go." I mumble.

"I didn't say go." He says. "Hang out for a bit."

I stay on the couch and watch him. He says stay but I feel like I shouldn't. I feel like I've bothered him enough today. Riley sets the bottle on the coffee table and reaches over grabbing my forearm. He pulls me over effortlessly into his lap and cradles me in his arms. I stare up at him as he brushes my hair back behind my ear. He lifts his arm to bring me closer to his face. His nose touches mine. He's going to kiss me and I feel those butterflies again.

A loud squeaky whine comes from the bedroom and I hurry, fumbling to get off his lap. I go into the bedroom and pet Socks' back as he looks around sleepily.

"It's okay, buddy." I whisper. "I'm here." After a couple minutes he falls back asleep and I walk back to the living room. Riley has his arms folded, his head on the back of the couch and he's glaring up at the ceiling.

I sit on the floor in front of him and lean over the couch, into his lap. He lifts his head and stares down at me with a glossy gaze. I can see his shoulders are tense and the look in his eyes is edgy. I run my hands up his legs slowly and hear him take a ragged breath when I reach his fly. I can already see him getting aroused through his pants. I've noticed it happens quite fast. I don't know about other guys but Riley seems to be hard in seconds. I stifle the giggle and pull the button loose.

I can't take my clothes off because he'd see the bruises and marks and I don't want him to ask more questions. I'm tired of fighting, so I'll just do this for him.

Riley tangles his fingers into my hair and I let him have a little control but I like the sounds he makes when I don't just let him go wild. Kind of a suffering breath, as if he's about to say something but he can't figure out what he wants to say. For a little while I get to make Riley speechless, minutes of quiet moans and him biting his lip. He curses a couple times and I see his head fall back.

"Oh–gh–dh-j… mm…" his fingers tighten in my hair and he groans, "D-darcy…baby–fuck–"

"Hmm?"

"Ahh."

I think he's trying to tell me he's getting close. I touch his hands with mine letting him know he can go for it.

He has this look on his face. He's had it for about five minutes. I come out of the bedroom from checking on Socks, he's still sleeping where I left him. And Riley still has this look on his face. Like he's… filled with wonder and delight. In a Riley sort of way though. So, slightly grumpy but content.

"Darcy." He says without looking at me.

"Yeah, Riley?" I look around for my sweater.

"I love you."

"That good, huh?" I laugh lightly and where the fuck is my sweater? I check under the coffee table. Did Socks drag it off somewhere?

"Darcy," Riley says again and I 'hm', "Darcy look at me." I turn and look at him. He's leaning forward with a serious look in his eyes. "I love you."

Oh. He's serious. "Do you love me?"

That makes it easier. "Yes." I say quietly. I almost ask if I can look for my sweater now, but I don't.

"You do?" His eyes widen.

"You think I do that for just anyone?" I mumble. I feel like I should be blushing but for some reason it doesn't happen.

"You love me." He leans back again and stares up at me. I sigh.

"I need to get back to the dorm." I say as I turn back to continue looking for my fucking sweater. It's already past curfew. I shake my head, "If you find my sweater will you let me know?"

"Yeah, let me walk you back." He stands up.

"No, it's alright." I say as we walk to the door. His hand slides into mine and I look down at it. If… if I do this and he's happy and I'm happy and we never grow unhappy with each other then what? I don't know how those things go. He stops me before I open the door and pulls me into his arms.

"I love you." He whispers.

I struggle to get it out, "I… I know you do."

"Don't worry. Say it when you're ready." He whispers.

"Just ask me."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He smiles and kisses me, I guess he doesn't care where my mouth has been. His smile is the warmest I've ever seen as I leave. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

I walk back slowly and just as I get to the dormitory door I look to my right and almost scream. It gets caught in my throat. Four is standing there. Arms folded. Shadows for eyes.

"You're doing something you shouldn't be, aren't you?" He whispers. I really… really wish I would have let Riley walk me back.

"What I do is none of your business, Four." I try to square my shoulders, "And what Eric does isn't either."

I don't regret my words. Not even when he drags me away.

* * *

Morning training was a nightmare. Sitting at lunch was a nightmare. Afternoon training is just about the same level of nightmare. I stand bitterly, my body is shaking like it's cold but I honestly can't get my nerves to stop. It's like they're on vibrate and the switch is broken. Every move I make is a new, fresh searing burn on my legs. I throw a knife and it misses. Clatters to the floor and I move stiffly to grab another, my fingers fumble to hold it. Shit. I swallow hard and try in earnest to get my body to stop trembling.

"You almost had that one." Peter laughs as he hugs me from behind. I can't stop the small cry of pain that escapes my lips and he steps around to look at me. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing.." I gasp. "I slipped yesterday and… hurt myself."

He holds me at arms length and is studying my face, I hold onto my lie like a rope and pray he doesn't dig further.

"You promise?" he whispers and I nod. I hate lying to Peter.

"Peter, back to knives." Four snaps from across the room. Peter looks at me once more before walking away. I lean against the table and stare down at the blades in front of me.

"Look at him." I hear Christina and look at her as she nods for Tris to look over and I see them staring at Eric as he's talking to Four. "He's a total babe."

"He's alright." Tris mumbles.

"Are you kidding? He's hot."

I don't know why I say it. Temporary loss of sanity from the massive belt whipping I took last night.  
"That's what everybody says about Eric." Both of them turn and look at me. "I'm just saying… You know like 'oh look there's Eric, he's so hot' is just.. it's kind of demeaning. Maybe Eric wants to be called …beautiful for once. Huh? How about that? You should try it." I am nearly shouting, "He's not just a fucking piece of meat." I throw my hands up, "You can't just-just say oh wow look let's–let's fucking stare at him all.. all fucking day! He has a brain you know. He has thoughts and ideas. He's really smart."

"Is there a problem here?"

I freeze up as I feel myself bump into him. Yes. Eric. I turn around and look up at him.

"No– You're beautiful." I blurt out. For fucks sakes! I close my eyes. "I mean... I was just telling them…"

"That I'm beautiful."

" _Very_. Pretty," I nod and stare down at his boots. This is not okay. When I dare to look up again he's staring at me. No emotions. As per usual. Thank the gods.

"Right." He he says quietly, then even quieter he speaks and his lips barely move, "I need to talk to you after dinner."

"Yes, sir." I mumble.

"Get back to training." He looks over my head and turns away. I turn back to the knives on the table and wish I could just fucking stab myself in the leg with one because I honestly think it would actually help me feel better.

* * *

The pain is immense and it interferes with any appetite I have so I don't eat much. I can only just sit there while Melanie is talking with Uriah and Peter about something. I'm not sure what about. I've been staring at the same potato slice for about ten minutes. I leave my tray and try to get up as smoothly as I can so I don't attract attention.

I'm on my way to go to Riley's to play with Socks when my phone beeps and I look down at Eric's name. I sigh and turn around to head back. I walk into the training room. Everyone is gone.

"I can't eat. I can't go in the cafeteria," Eric says and I see him sitting on the floor with his back against the wall.

"Why?"

"I'm not hungry. All I can think of is Melanie."

"You need to think about something else." And I need some ice to put down my pants.

"I want to at least talk to her." He says. "But I don't think I can even approach her."

"Probably not a good idea just yet." I step over to the wall and slide down the floor holding back the groans that want to escape my lips as I feel the stiffness in my legs. "But, if you were to talk to her what would you–" I gasp, "Say?" I groan and Eric looks at me and I smile like I'm just sore and not fucking internally dying.

"I don't know." He shakes his head.

"Okay. Pretend I'm Melanie." I whisper as I close my eyes. My back really fucking hurts.

"Pretend you're Melanie?"

"Yep. I'll even reply."

"What do I say?"

"Whatever you want," I toss a hand up, "Hit me with your best shot."

"I love you."

"I hate you. You scared me," I say flatly.

"I didn't mean to scare you. And I didn't mean to hurt you either."

"Why did you hurt me?" I ask. I think I might fall asleep.

"Because I love you so much."

"That doesn't make sense, Eric."

"But it's true. I just want you," he sighs.

"Well, you can't have me right now."

"Darcy what if she…"

I open my eyes and turn my head to look at him. "Hm?"

"What if she falls in love with someone else?"

"She won't," I say firmly. My phone beeps in my hand and I look down at it to see Riley's name. Something about Socks. I rigidly get to my feet. "Okay, just don't… stress about this. I have to go. I'm sorry."

I get to Riley's apartment and he opens the door glaring at me.

"What?" I ask.

He opens the door and I look around at all the trash. The trashcan has been pulled over and Socks is sitting watching us with something sticky all over his fur. My laughter is painful and Riley doesn't think it's funny, but it's hilarious. It is so wonderfully funny.

I help him clean up and I pop Socks into the bathtub and scrub him down. He loves the water. I wrap him in a towel and carry him into the living room. "Here you go." I smile at Socks, "You can go sit with your daddy." I whisper. "He'll dry you off." I kiss his furry snout and look at Riley"I'll see you tomorrow." I say. He's staring at me. "What?"

"Is he our baby?" He asks.

"What–uh no, I–I just meant that…" This is embarrassing. I can feel my cheeks heat up. "I have to go." I give him Socks and leave.

It's twenty minutes to curfew when I get a call from Eric.

"Darcy…" His voice is small and suffering. Is this Eric? I look at my phone and see his name. "I can't do this…"

"Where are you?" I turn in a circle trying to think of where he'd be.

"The roof." I think he…just sobbed. Shit! The call ends and I turn around in a hurry and bolt for the stairwell. Shit! _Shit_!

I trip running up the stairs. "AGH! Double… shit.." I pull myself up by the rail and force my legs to move. I break through the door and see him hunched over the ledge.

"Dibs!" I shout. "You can't today. _NO_ … this–this is my day!" I shout as I'm bent over trying to catch my breath. I look at him staring at me, "It'll be weird if we both…. jump…" I shake my head, good god I think my leg is bleeding. "Oh fuck…" I gasp trying to get a deep breath.  
Four flights of stairs in under…what.. three minutes? Not bad. I might be dying, but not bad.

"I'm not jumping." He says hoarsely.

"Oh thank god." I inhale deeply through my nose. "Because I was not feeling fully committed to what I just said."

"You ran up here because you thought I was going to jump?" He laughs surprised.

"Don't fucking laugh at me." I point weakly. "I tripped too."

He laughs for a few seconds more, but then it chokes off and I look up at him. He's staring at his feet.

"She won't even look at me, Darcy," he says.

"What?"

"I said hi to her and she just passed me by."

"She didn't look at you," I say. "That's okay."

"It's not okay!" he snaps. "She is looking at Jace. She's looking at Uriah. She's looking at Gabe–"

"Gabe is her cousin so…" I teeter my head side to side and he glares at me.

"That's besides the point." He shakes his head, "I want her to look at me."

"She will. Eventually." The poor bastard. He is not in a good place, if he's ever been in one. "You can't get mad about it though."

"I want to kill that Jace kid. I want to–"

"Hold up!" I raise a hand. "Jace isn't the problem here. Your anger is. Why are you so bent on Melanie?"

"Because I love her!" he yells.

"I know you love her, but why?"

"Why?" he looks at me like he doesn't understand the question. "She… she is..."

"Take a minute to think about it," I shrug.

He's quiet for a minute, and I stare at him as he looks at the ground and his eyes wander around a bit. "She's funny. She makes me feel accepted," he whispers. "She's beautiful and fucking knows how to push my buttons."

"When you think of her. What comes to mind?" I ask. I want to sit down my knees hurt. Hell, my everything hurts.

"Cake and mistletoe and family dinners," he chuckles.

Okay I need to sit down. I wave a hand for him to continue as I lower myself to the ground. I pull my phone out when he isn't looking and push the record button.

"She is like all the seasons wrapped in one," he says gently. "She is fresh like spring and energetic like summer nights." He sits down and stares upward at the stars. I'd look too, but my neck hurts so I settle for a nice view of the gravel by my shoe. "She reminds me of the colors in autumn and when she laughs... I don't think I've ever heard anything like it."

"Contagious," I whisper.

"Yeah, contagious. When I see her it's like watching snow fall. She's graceful and so certain of herself and… and I've ruined that."

"No, you haven't," I whisper.

"I feel like I have. I've let the only person that matters to me down. There's nothing I can do to change that," he sighs. I stop the recording on my phone and tuck it in my sweater pocket.

"My father used to tell me that if I changed the way I look at things, the things I look at change. I've tried so hard to look at things differently, but they always stay the same," I whisper. "When I stopped looking at things completely is when I got in trouble." Eric is staring at me. "Sorry.. I–I didn't mean to start talking about myself. Thoughtlessness."

"I suppose listening to others talk about themselves is part of being kind," he mumbles.

"It is. But, you don't have to listen to me," I laugh gently and mumble, "No one else does. Tell me more about Melanie."

Eric goes on for a while and I lose track of time listening to him talk about her.  
He really loves her. It's almost sick.  
I laugh at funny stories he tells me like that time she burnt a cake. He talks excitedly about one Christmas and even has a shimmer in his eyes when he tells me about how he feels when he kisses her. I can't help but smile because he's full of happiness. At least until he falls into the slump again. I pick up a pebble and throw it weakly. it hits him in the shoulder and his eyes come up to mine.

"You're doing good," I say tiredly. "But I think I should get to the dorm. We've been talking for a couple hours now and I was supposed to go to bed a while ago."

"Shit." He gets to his feet and surprisingly rushes over to help me up. His hand is warm while mine is freezing. My fingers are stiff.

"Th–thank you." I stammer out of habit as he pulls me up. IT ALL FUCKING HURTS. I bite my lip as my eyes water and a small noise is muffled in my mouth.

"You okay?" He asks. I smile with pursed lips and nod.

"Mmhmm." I blink hard trying to push the stinging back down. "I'm good." I whisper roughly.

He clears his throat and I pull my hand out of his. I should move now. Any second. Yep. Okay... now. I turn and take my steps slowly, testing the waters. I'm alright I think. "Goodnight, sir." I pull the door open and don't glance back at him.

* * *

Two days later I find myself limping up the stairwell. I have to stop a couple times to catch my breath. Four used me as dummy today to show how to effectively throw someone smaller and weaker than you across the mat and listen to her curse proficiently for two minutes straight while grasping her hip.

I get to the hallway and find that I have to actually bend over, hands on my knees to get a breath. Shit, he hates me. I can't believe I'm this tired. I give myself a few minutes before I go to Riley's door and knock on it.

The door opens and I giggle at the disheveled look on Riley's face, but I see Melanie and my laughter get's caught in my throat. She's holding Socks. I look back at Riley and Melanie starts laughing.

"She'll help with Socks." Riley sighs I enter. Melanie lets Socks down and he runs over to me excitedly. I kneel down and some how keep my scream at bay.

"Hi, my baby." I smile and pick Socks up, he's licking my face and it's the best part of my day, "Miss me?" I giggle. His fur is so comforting to me.

"Darce," Riley says, " He pissed the bed last night. He needs his own."

"Are you sure it was him, Riley?"

"No, I'm not. I've been losing control of my bladder for the past year now. It's probably time for me to jump." Riley says flatly and I giggle. I stick my tongue out at him as I carry Socks into the bedroom. Melanie follows me and I set Socks down. Melanie helps me start pulling the sheets off and I look up at her. She's smirking at me.

"What?"

"You two have a puppy." She whispers with a grin.

"No, we don't." I whisper, glancing over my shoulder at the door. She's still staring at me like that, "Okay, we have a puppy, but it's not ours. It's his and mine, but not together." I shake my head and take the sheets over to the hamper.

"Girl, you are stripping the man's bed."

"You say that like I'm stripping him." I go to the closet and reach up for a clean set of sheets, but I freeze. Shit. I look over to Melanie slowly. There's that smirk again.

"Have you?" she asks suggestively, "You know where his sheets are."

I look down at the sheets in my hands. Fuck. "Don't be ridiculous, Melanie." I whisper as I walk to the bed. "That's.. that is not allowed." I say as I set the sheets down on the bed. The sound of my phone going off fills the room and I look at the text. "I have to go." It's Four.

"You're not going to make his bed?" She asks but I can't look away from the screen. "Who is it? Who texted you?"

"Uh, just… Peter. He needs my help with something." I lock my phone and kneel down carefully to get some scratches in on Socks' back, his little tail whips back and forth, "I'll see you later, fur-ball."

I walk quickly through the apartment and leave without any goodbyes. I'm reading the text from Four saying he has a surprise for me and I need to come now. It's not that I'm excited. I'm terrified that if I don't come now he'll be harder on me. I get to the stairwell and start down then another text comes in from Eric. I think Eric takes president over Four so I text Four and tell him that I can't come right now. He'll be pissed but I don't really care. I actually kind of want to help Eric.

I walk out onto the rooftop and see Eric pacing around.

"Hey." I say quietly and he looks over at me.

"I want to tell her. I want to tell her soon before it's too late. Before she starts going out with other guys."

"I think you should wait. I mean.. it's not likely she'll do that. You need to sound sincere and tell her everything you've told me." I put my hands in my sweater pockets to guard them against the cold breeze coming in. "You want to take care of her, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Okay. How are you going to convey that?" I ask looking down at my feet and shuffling a few pebbles with the toe of my shoe. I hope Four isn't going to hit me extra tonight…

"I would tell her that… I love her. And I want to protect her. She's the most important person in my life." he says, I blink lazily.

"Okay, say it to me. Let me hear it." I mumble and look back up at him.

"I love you and I'll protect you." He says flatly. His mind is somewhere else. He's too stuck in his head and not in his emotions.

"You gotta let your feelings into it, man." I shake my head, "Say it like you mean it."

"I did say it like I mean it." Eric snaps the twig he's holding and throws it away. His eyes meet mine.

"You're guarding." I point a finger at him.

"I'm not guarding."

"Let your wall down for a second. You're not believable."

"I'm trying to be." He nearly shouts then lowers his voice. "I'm trying."

"You're not trying. Is she just a hobby to you?"

"No, of course not." He snaps.

"Then stop acting like it." I say.

"I'm not acting like it–"

"Then make me believe it!" I snap and shove his shoulders. Accidentally. Just got a little carried away, really. But it seems to get him to move. His eyes come to me furiously, I can see him imagining Melanie, good. He's got it. It's terrifying, but he's got it. His hands grab my upper arms… a little tighter than I'm comfortable with but, hey.. Melanie wouldn't mind. He pushes me against the wall, and the air is knocked from me gently by his whole body. But it's soft because his hand slides to the back of my neck, making me look up at him.

"Melanie, I'm going to protect you because I love you." He says clearly, solidly. Believably. His eyes move between mine and, god damn, it he's _really_ good at this. I almost feel something for him.

Ah, no I don't - that's just my hip aching.


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, a new week has started, Muffins. From today on I'll post three times a week - on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. In this chapter you'll see how Melanie is coping with her feelings for Eric.**

 **Enjoy, review, and see you on Wednesday xoxox**

* * *

 **Melanie**

I knock on the front door and look at my sneakers when the door is opened. My eyes go to the heavy boots that appear in view and I sigh.

"I'm sorry," I whisper hoarsely.

"For what exactly?' Riley asks me quietly. "For leaving in the middle of the night without waking me? Or for going to Eric?"

I shrug, not knowing what to say or do other than feeling a whole entirely new level of miserable. Who knew that hell has indeed various levels? I think I just entered the basement. Riley steps aside and opens the door further to let me back into his apartment. I let my duffel bag drop beside the sofa and sit down.

"Why did you go to him?" he asks after he sits down next to me.

"You heard me?"

"Yes, I did, Mel," he sighs, "I couldn't understand what you were yelling, but I knew it was you."

I fold my legs beneath me and lean against the back of the sofa. "There were a few things I needed to get off my chest, that's all."

"I told you to stay away from him."

I shrug while swallowing thickly. "Yeah, well, I didn't listen. Kick me out of the faction, I don't care anymore…"

"Stop being so overly dramatic, Mel, for fuck sake," he growls, and I finally look at him. "And don't give me that look!"

He looks annoyed, but his eyes are thoughtful and kind when they lock with mine.

"I'm sorry I kissed you," I tell him. "I know that you have feelings for Darcy, even though you and her aren't a thing. I'm not in love with you and I never had those kind of feelings for you." I look away and stare at the sky outside the windows. "It's like when I kissed Jace. I just looked at you and felt all of the love I have for you, and just wanted to kiss you, you know? It wasn't anything…" I throw my hands up then shrug again.

"It wasn't sexual," Riley finishes the sentence for me, and he chuckles lightly. "I know, Mel. And I understand what you're trying to tell me. You know that I love you too, so apology accepted. Let's just forget about it."

He pulls me to him and I'm finally able to relax somewhat. I press my face against his chest and tighten my arms around his waist.

"And sorry for going on about Darcy. You're right, it's none of my business. I've got enough on my plate as it is to worry about. I just hoped that the two of you would hook up, you know?"

We pull away from each other and I catch a glimpse of something unreadable in his eyes before he stands up and walks towards the kitchen. It costs me some considerable effort to haul myself off the sofa and follow him.

"Well, Darcy and I aren't going to happen anytime soon, okay?" he says quietly as he busies himself making us some coffee. "And it's better this way, me being her leader and supervisor."

"Maybe after initiation," I offer weakly.

"Yeah, maybe."

He gives me a feeble smile and I try hard not to start crying again. He might be fooling others with his tough act and stern appearance, but he can't fool me. The man is feeling miserable.

But I already promised to stay out of their business. It's bad enough Darcy and he have to deal my little drama.

He hands me a cup of coffee and leans against the breakfast bar. "So, the dorm wasn't a success?"

I shake my head and can taste the bile in the back of my sore throat as fear stirs in the pit of my stomach. "He… dragged me out of there, Riley. I-I can't sleep there. Not yet, anyway…"

"Jesus, Mel… And you still went to him to confront him?" He whistles low while looking at me strangely. "Can't decide whether you're brave or just downright stupid."

"I still love him so my guess would be stupid," I whisper as I try to ignore the deep ache in my chest when I think of Eric. My toes have finally stop curling…

Riley grabs my hand and holds it, but he doesn't say anything and I'm glad for it. In a heavy silence that weighs down on us both, we drink our coffee, both lost in our own thoughts, and holding on to the other.

* * *

The minute I walk into the cafeteria, the noise dies down significantly and everyone stops what they're doing and just looks at me.  
Shit…  
People greet me quietly as I pass them with my head held high. I see anger in their eyes, but luckily no glee or, gods forbid, sympathy.  
I smile and nod to everyone I know, all too aware that the dark bruises on my throat are visible for the entire world to see. But I refuse to cover them. I'm Dauntless.  
Still, I almost lose it when I see my brother staring at me with worry and anger in his eyes. Fuck!  
He's sitting at the table with the other Dauntless-born initiates, and is clearly waiting for me. Triple fuck!  
Gunner is the last person, beside my mom, I want to see right now.  
I sit between Gabe and Lynn, and brother dearest just look at me for a very long moment until I snap nervously. "What?"

"What happened, Mel?" he asks me quietly.

My eyes dart upwards to the leaders table on the balcony level, but Eric isn't there. Strangely enough I don't feel relieved. "I… eh… I woke up after a while and went back to the hideout because I thought I had lost my phone," I say quietly. "And then someone grabbed me from behind."

"Did you see who it was?"

I shake my head and clear my throat. "No, I didn't it. It was too dark, and I was still half asleep and wasted."

Gunner leans over the table and lowers his voice. "He didn't... I mean… Nothing happened?"

"No!" I say quickly. "I'm fine. I mean, he only tried to strangle me…"

Suddenly Jace jumps up, startling me and the others, and storms out of the cafeteria. "What's wrong with him?" Gunner asks.

Ezra shakes his head, his dark eyes growing cold. "He blames himself for what happened to her."

"He wasn't there to protect her," Uriah says quietly. He shrugs then sighs. "Most of us feel that way."

I look down at the table and squeeze my trembling hands between my thighs. God, if Jace had been there, Eric would've killed him. Jace needs to stay as far as possible away from me.

"Most of us?" Lynn snorts. "Try everyone." She places her hand on my thigh beneath the table and gives me a little comforting squeeze. I glance at her and I manage to smile at her before I look at Gunner again.

"Tell mom and dad that I'm fine, okay?" I tell him. "The doc assured me that I'm fine, nothing serious although my throat still hurts like a bitch, and you can hear that I sound like dad now."

Gunner narrow his eyes as he studies me closely. "Are you really?"

 _Don't cry, don't blink_ , I tell myself as our eyes lock. "Shaken and stirred, but fine. I promise. It could've happened to anyone. It does happen almost every weekend. I mean, we're talking about Dauntless here, you know? Shit happens."

Man, I would've never been able to be a Candor – I'm almost even believing my own crap.

"Isn't that the bitch who's fucking Riley?" I suddenly hear someone say behind me. I turn around to see a couple of skanks smirking at me.

"Smart move, fucking a leader to get through initiation," one of them chuckles while raising her pierced eyebrow.

The bitch looks like a doll of a three-year old that has found her momma's make up, and decided to give her doll a makeover. I'm also not feeling the mutilated green with purple mohawk she's sporting on top of her shaved head.

I get up and step over the bench. "What did you say?" I ask her.

"Mel," Gunner warns me.

"Oh, shit, here we go," Gabe mutters.

"Someone get a first aid-kit!" Uriah chuckles. "And some popcorn! Shit is about to go down!"

Purple Mohawk skank rises slowly and shrugs nonchalantly as she looks down at me. She's at least eight inches taller than I am, but height, weight or age have never stopped me.

"I'm just saying. Coming up with some bullshit story about being attacked and then ending up with Ril— "

I don't give her a chance to finish her sentence as my fist connects with her mouth. Her head snaps back, and I grab the spiked collar around her neck and punch her again. The skanks beside her jump up and try to stop me, but I slam my forehead against the nose of one, then kick the other against the knee before punching the bitch again who started all this with her big mouth.  
The spikes of the leather collar bite in the palm of my hand when I twist it tighter around her neck.

I don't know what I'm doing.  
There are no thoughts in my mind.  
I feel nothing, not even anger or her feeble attempts to hit me back, while I twist and punch, and punch and twist.  
I hear people shouting my name, but no one tries to stop me.  
I look between the skank's bright blue eyes and see fear in them as she struggles against me with her hands around my wrist. Her face is dark red, and the veins in her neck and on her forehead are swollen and throbbing fast.  
The corners of my mouth twitch when I finally feel something: satisfaction.  
I slowly releases her and step back. She slumps against the table and gasps loudly while trying to crawl away from me, but she has nothing to worry about anymore.

I'm done.

I turn, sit down again and grab a muffin from Gabe's plate. It's still warm and I hum appreciatively after taking a bite. It's not as good as mine, but I'm not complaining.  
I look up and see that everyone is staring strangely at me from a considerable distance, even Gunner.

"Jesus fuck, Mel," Eric says suddenly behind me. When did he make his appearance? I look over my shoulder and smirk at him.

Behind him the skank is being carried away out of the cafeteria by her friends. My smirk turns into a grin and I take another bite. On second thought, the muffin is delicious.

I shrug as I glance back at Eric. "She talked shit about Riley and me, and I tried to flush her. That's what you do with shit. But you have to admit that I improved her face significantly. Even you would fuck her now."

A collective horrified gasp echoes through the cafeteria as I grab another muffin while getting up again.

"Bye, Gun," I smile to my brother. "Tell mom and dad, and Thing One and Two that I said hi."

I nod to Eric and just stroll past him and out of the quiet cafeteria at a leisurely pace.

"Melanie, wait!" Eric calls after me as soon as I'm outside.

I sigh and turn to face him. The last thing I want is to talk to him again, but walking away again from him would only cause more trouble. He's still my supervisor and leader, and I have to respect that, no matter what.  
He stops in front of me and studies me for a moment. His eyes briefly dart towards my neck before returning to mine. I can tell that he's barely keeping it together beneath his cold and menacing demeanour, and I feel oddly guilty about it.

"You're alright?" he asks me gently. I can't stand the worried look in his eyes.

"Stop asking me that!" I snap angrily. "I'm fine!"

He presses his lips and sighs through his nose before his expression hardens again. "Ï should be giving you an official warning for the fight, but since she picked a fight with you…"

I thrust my hands into the pockets of my combat pants and shrug. "You don't have to do me any favours, Eric. It's not like we're friends or together anymore."

I feel another stab of guilt when I see the hurt in his eyes and I just walk away from him without another word. I can't stand him any longer.

Not because I hate him, but because I can't hate him as much as I want to… Or should do.

Goddammit, I need to bake something!

* * *

"Oh. My. GOD! Riley!" I squeal, jumping up and down when I see the tiniest, cutest bundle of fur ever in his arms. I reach out to grab it, but Riley turns away from me with a mighty glare that reminds me of my mom. Protective, much!?

"Not so loud, for fuck sake," he growls at me. "You're scaring Socks."

"You named him Sucks?" I squeal, louder this time.

"Fuck, Mel! Socks with an O," daddy Riley corrects me viciously.

Jeez, excuse me for misunderstanding the adorable puppy's name. It's not like I called him a kitten or a gerbil! Little Socks squeals back at me, and I just die from cuteness overload. I take him from Riley and snuggle him. I can't even speak, only squeal, even though my throat doesn't agree with my enthusiasm. I don't care if he's smelly and probably flea-ridden as he licks my chin and neck.

"Did you bathe him? Feed him?"

Riley stares in utter confusion at me until I repeat the questions in a more normal tone of voice. I really can't help it that my voice is too high-pitched. I'm dying right now! Socks is so freakin' cute!

"Yes, I've fed him," he sighs. "Managed to find some pet food. You and Darcy can take care of the rest since it's her dog."

At that I give him a knowing smirk and he just rolls his eyes at me. "Sneaky bastards!" I laugh. "I knew it!"

"Mel," Riley warns me.

I hold a hand up. "I know nothing because there is nothing going on except for this adorable baby-dog. My lips are sealed, don't you worry." I pause for a moment and sigh deeply. "You've done so much for me and…" I still can't say his name. "I understand why you guys didn't want to tell me. And you don't have to. But if you ever need my help, just ask, okay?"

"Then bathe the mutt while I make us some dinner, okay?"

"Bathe, yes," I say, "dinner, no. I just ate in the cafeteria. But is it okay for me to use your oven? I need to bake something before I definitely lose my mind." I see the hesitation in his eyes. "Unless you're expecting someone?"

Riley looks away from me with a frown. "Uh… no… Go ahead."

Something is bothering him; I can feel it in my gut. But I promised not to meddle anymore unless he tells me what's on his mind.

After the adventure of washing an overly enthusiastic puppy I've come to the conclusion that I prefer kittens. Socks is adorable to a fault… but my clothes are soaking wet and the bathroom has been turned into a marsh. Darcy can bathe him from now on.

"Thanks for the dry clothes, Riley," I say as I walk into the kitchen area while drying my hair with a towel. "I'll return them tomorrow."

"I guess he doesn't like being bathed," he snickers as he put away the clean dishes in the cupboards.

"On the contrary," I laugh. "You got yourself a dog who thinks he's a mermaid. Never knew dogs like water that much. It's a good thing you have a blow dryer. Doggie got a 'fro now."

I sit down at the breakfast bar and Riley hands me a glass of lemonade.

"At least he smells better," he chuckles as he tries to break off another chunk of the cake. "But not as good as your cake."

"No!" I slap his hand. "It's still too warm. Let it cool down, greedy bastard, unless you want a tummy ache."

He chuckles. "Tummy ache… I'm not a kid anymore, Mel."

I slap him again and my fingers tingle from the impact. "Then stop acting like one! Come, let's take Afro Socks for a walk."

"Alright, but not in the Pit. Let's go outside."

"Lead the way, boss." I pick up Socks and tug him inside the oversized sweater I borrowed from Riley. "You'll need to buy a leash too."

"He seems fine enough in there," Riley smirks. "I bet Eric would be jealous of the mutt when he sees him."

"Oh, shut up!" I snap, but I can't hide my grin because he's probably right.

"Still not talking to him?" he asks me as we leave the apartment.

I shrug. "I've got nothing to say to him. I mean, I don't even know how to get past this fucked up situation. Do I stay angry with him or should I give him a chance to say whatever it is he wants to say to me? I don't know how this works."

Riley sighs. "I don't know either, Mel. You know how we Dauntless are. We get into an argument and work it out with our fists. After that we're either friends or enemies for life. But this is different and it involves you guys. All I know is that he's really miserable and he's avoiding everyone like the plague."

"Don't… fuck! Don't tell me things like that," I groan. "I don't want to hear stuff like that!"

"Sorry, I guess," he says quietly. "I thought you wanted to know how he's doing."

"Yes... No! I don't know! It hurts hearing that he's so miserable even though he deserves it."

I look into my sweater to check on Socks all curled up against my boobies. Just the sight of his cute eyes looking up at me drives away the ache in my chest. There should be a law against so much cuteness. "I miss him, Riley. And I hate it that he's hurting. I want back what we had, but I don't want to be the one making the first step because I don't want him to think that he's got me in his back pocket."

Riley shrugs. "Let him work for it, Mel. What he did is unforgivable, but you should really ask yourself if you're willing to give him another chance."

Socks starts whining and pushing his little cold nose against my chin. "Uh, Riley, I think this little guy needs to empty his tank ASAP."

We barely make it outside on time: the second I put Socks down on the ground in the alley he starts doing his business.

"I'll think about it," I say quietly to Riley. "Thank you."

"No problem, Mel. Relationships can be complicated."

I look to him and his entire forehead is furrowed. To hell with my promise. "Caught up in one of those yourself?" I ask him carefully.

He stares at Sock who is sniffing and waddling between the empty crates and garbage bins. "No. Like I said, there is nothing going on between Darcy and me. I'm making sure that she's going to pass initiation and that she's staying out of more trouble. That's it, Mel."

I study him calmly for a few moments and I believe him this time.

Whatever the reason might have been for our little talk last week in Inferno, it wasn't an issue anymore. Too bad. I really believe that they were made for each other.

"So Socks is really her dog, and hers alone?"

Riley smirks. "Yeah. She found him during lunch and ask me to take care of him until after initiation." He raises an eyebrow and his smirk turns into a full-fledged grin. "Anything else you want to know? My security codes? Pass words?"

I stick my tongue out at him. "And what about Mystery Girl? Who is she? Is she one of the transfers?"

He lets out a bark of laughter. "For fucks sake, Mel! You should really become an interrogator. Un-fucking-believable."

"Just answer me, man, and I'll get off your back," I grin as I pick up Socks and carefully tug him into my sweater.

"If you give me the cake," Riley chuckles.

"The whole cake? You drive a hard bargain."

"Don't let me pull rank on you. Just gimme that damn cake, Mel."

"Will you tell me then who this Mystery Girl is?"

He is adamant. "Nope."

"So… Mystery Man then?" I grin, wiggling my eyebrows. He nudges me with his elbow and I almost crash into the wall. "Riley! Careful, I'm fragile!"

"Yes, you are, Mel," he laughs as he pulls me to him and drapes an arm around my shoulders. "Like Teflon. Now… about that cake…"

"Yeah, yeah, you can have the whole cake," I sigh. "But only because I used your hair brush on Socks."

I laugh as I bolt away when he roars, "You did what!?"

It feels so good to laugh again. But soon enough my laughter turns into screaming when Riley comes after me through the tunnel. I run up three flight of stairs before he manages to grab the back of the sweater and stops me.

I scream with laughter when he begins to tickle me. "I'm sorry! I'll get you a new one! I swear!"

Socks growls and barks viciously at Riley. "Traitor," he sneers at the puppy. "You should be giving her attitude, not me."

I hand him Socks and giggle when he begins to lick Riley scruffy face.

"You wanna go to the roof for a smoke?"

"Sure, why not," he shrugs.

"Can I have one?" A slap on the back of my head is his answer. "Ouch! Jeez, it was a joke! You're worse than my mom."

He laughs loudly as he opens the door to the roof. "Thanks for the compliment, Mel."

I step outside and that's when I see Eric with Darcy. He has her pinned against the wall and is practically fucking melting on her.

"I love you," he says and my heart just stops beating.

"What the fuck?" Riley and I yell in unison.

"Melanie…" Darcy squeaks and anger ignites in me without any warning. I all but fly at her, ready to shred her into tiny pieces.

"You little bitch!" I roar in her face as Eric backs away from us.

"Now, hang on a second!" she snaps, "That's rude!"

"Rude?! I'll show you rude!" I grab her by the collar and slam her to the ground. Never before have I felt such anger. I'm so livid that I want to cry. And that is exactly what I do while trying to kill the one who I thought was my friend.

"I'm not going to fight you!" she screams.

"Fight! You two-faced, back-stabbing whore!" I roar as I punch at her face.

"That's so mean to say!" she screams while holding her arms up to block me.

Suddenly two strong hands grab me by the waist and pull me off her. I struggle to break free and launch myself at her again, but I'm pulled against a hard chest and held there.

"Melanie, wait!" Eric says and I push away from him.

"You stay the fuck away from me!" I scream at him. "Both of you!"

"Melanie, just hang on a second, I can explain," Darcy says as she tries to get up. Eric turns to help her and I can't fucking believe it. She pushes him away. "Stop it, you dumb… fuckin'… I don't know... idiot. Agh... my face." She groans on the ground, holding her face, and then she stops and starts up at the sky for a second. "Eric, Riley, I need to talk to her alone," she sighs. "Please."

Riley is glaring at Eric as they both walk a few yards away. Riley is so pissed he looks like he's going to kill Eric. Good! I hope he does! I start to leave, but stop when she talks.

"Melanie. Wait."

I watch her struggle to get up and I don't understand why she can't get up. I only hit her in the face. Fucking pathetic weakling… "I hate you," I growl at her.

"Yeah, alright." She nods, "You made that clear. But you have to listen–"

"I don't have to listen to a single thing you say," I shake my head and angrily wipe my tears away.

"Alright. The other night Eric and I were talking–"

"Oh my god, shut up!" I shout as I step forward and push her hard, and she falls back on her ass. "You're nothing to me. You're just a fucking pyro bitch! You think I was your friend because I liked you?! I felt sorry for you! We all did," I laugh angrily, "You're just this seemingly innocent thing, but you're really just a fucking traitor. You're fucking needy and pathetic."

She stares up at me blankly and her eyes fall as if she didn't hear anything.

"You want Eric, you want Riley." I could hit her all I want and it'll never make a difference. "You're just a fucking weirdo."

She blinks slowly and nods as she gets to her feet and pulls something out of her pocket. Her phone.

"I didn't come here wanting any of you," she whispers and something about her eyes makes me be still for a moment. "But you're the only family I have now."

She pushes a button and forces it into my hand before walking away. I look down at it as Eric's voice comes out of the speakers. I can only stare as he talks about me, and how much he loves me, and that's when I realise I've just reacted how he had that night.

I feel exactly how he had felt and I just attacked my best friend over it…


	23. Chapter 23

**Its Wednesday so here's another Darcy & Riley chapter for you all. It's shorter than usual and I'm going into hiding now till Friday because it is... yeah... *ducks behind the sofa***

 **See you on Friday! xoxox**

* * *

 **Darcy**

I can feel my face. I can feel it very well right now. I cup my hands under the cold water as I stand alone in the bathroom. Blood is dripping from my lip. I never want to piss off Melanie again. I can see the bruise under my left eye already forming as I bring the water to my tingling lips. I bet she could take Four down… My hands start shaking as I think about him.

"Did you mean what you said?" I hear Melanie's voice and I look in the mirror's reflection at her standing near the door. "About being family?"

God I hope she doesn't hit me again. I nod, "Yeah. I meant it."

I watch her look down at her feet for a second and can easily see the shame wash over her. "Melanie, don't." I shake my head. "Don't feel bad. I would've attacked me too. I mean… If I were you." I wash my lips again.

"So much has happened…" She whispers as she looks up at me. "I have a lot of friends, but none of them have really ever been as important to me as you. And I don't know why."

"Sometimes people just find each other in the strangest of ways and they just click, Melanie… turns out I had to burn half the city down to find my real family." I shrug. Generally talking like this with anyone would make me want to leave. Avoid it. But not this time. "I'm comfortable with you, Melanie. I don't find that with a lot of people. Certainly not Eric," I giggle, "I don't think I'll ever be comfortable around him. But I knew he was important to you and you are just as important to him. I just wanted to help."

"I didn't mean what I said–"

"I know. You were just angry."

"Darcy," She shakes her head. "I'm so sorry." She hurries over and for a split second I'm afraid she's going to hit me again but she doesn't, instead she touches my cheeks. Cupping my face in her hands. "Oh my god.." She's looking at the damage. "I'm so sorry I hit you."

"Eh," I shrug, "I deserved it for sneaking behind your back with your psycho boyfriend." I smile and the split in my lip stings. "Shit." I press my fingertips to it.

"I guess I'm just as psycho as he is." She mumbles.

"Yeah." I nod. A beeping echoes against the walls of the bathroom and I watch Melanie pull my phone out of her pocket and look down at it.

"It's Four." She lifts an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" I try to keep my voice level as I extend my hand.

"Why's he calling you?" She asks as she hands my phone to me.

"I don't know." I shrug lazily, but inside my nerves are all vibrating and I shove my phone into my pockets and try to hide the fact that I'm shaking. She's watching me suspiciously. "Kind of cold in here." I laugh gently.

"I guess." She glances around. My phone starts ringing again and she looks at my pocket. I push the button to ignore it.

"I should probably go see what he needs." I say quietly. Awkwardly. I step around her. "I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

"Yeah," She turns as I go and I feel her watch me but I turn back and walk to her, wrapping my arms around her.

"I'm not good at hugs, but I'll try this." I whisper. She hugs me back. I can feel in the pit of my stomach that Four is pissed at me and I don't want to let go of Melanie. But I do. And I go.

My phone starts ringing for the third time as I hurry down the hallway. My shoulders are shaking. I push the door open to the Arena and look around. "You ever heard of answering your fucking phone?" He snaps. He's different. Something about him is different. He's angrier than usual. The animal instinct that floods through me tells me to run.

"Four, I'm sorry, Eric and–" He slaps me so hard I stumble sideways and almost fall.

"Four, what the fuck?" I snap quietly.

"You don't get to ignore me." He says pleasantly as his hand grabs the back of my neck and he pulls me back up to face him. I see a range of emotions cross his face as I stare up at him. His face softens to… concern? His fingers touch my face, I can smell alcohol on his breath. That's what's different. I didn't know he drank. "Who hit you?"

"Melanie. We… got in a fight…kind of."

"Did you block like I showed you?" He whispers. I am very creeped out right now.

"I tried." I lean away from him slightly as he shakes his head.

"You're so pathetic." His hand slides to the back of my neck. "I want you to do good. You know that right? I'm jussttrying to help." He smiles briefly and I move my face away from his touch. It's not welcome.

I always open my mouth when I shouldn't. "Did you need something?" I ask. The softness in his eyes hardens and his fingers tighten on my throat.

"Just you." He whispers. I don't like how he's looking at me.

* * *

 **Riley**

I watch Socks run around the rooftop for a bit. He barks at me every other minute then runs around, chases his tail. Such a happy little thing. Eric went to find Melanie. I texted Darcy ten minutes ago but she hasn't responded. I want to see her before I leave with Eric and Gunner tonight. Socks is having too much fun to take him inside just yet. I text her again and push send just as the door opens. Darcy comes out and her eyes meet mine. I can see something in her face for just the briefest of moments and then it's gone and I wonder if I even saw it at all. She's okay. I think. I don't know. I can't determine the look on her face now.

She rushes toward me. Her body hits mine but I don't budge as her arms wrap around my neck. She kisses me hard making my eyes close. Of course, automatically my hands find her body; they need to hold her tight and close. She pulls on my jacket and I blindly follow her, not wanting to break our kiss.

Socks is tugging at my pant leg and scratching at my boot as I have Darcy pinned against the brick wall. I want her so bad. I feel Socks settle on my boot, he's bored with us. I'm not. I have one hand up her shirt and the other in her hair. Her fingernails drag across the back of my head and she tugs at my hair gently. I love her so much.

I hear the door open, "Riley, are you reh–"

I open my eyes and look over at Eric, but I'm still kissing Darcy. I don't give a shit and neither does she I guess.

"You got five minutes." He rolls his eyes and walks back inside and I push my tongue further into her mouth. Five minutes. I can do five minutes.

"Let me fuck you." I whisper between kisses. She shakes her head. "Please, baby." I'm fucking begging.

"Can't." She gasps as I slide my hand into her pants. She's very… ready…

"Darcy," I growl against her lips she just smiles and shakes her head again. "Fine. "I'll be back in the morning." I whisper. "I'm going to the city with Eric and Gunner." The color in her cheeks makes me happy. She's so beautiful. "When I get back let's have dinner together and a movie night."

"Okay." She nods and I kiss her.

* * *

Eric is looking at me with a subtle smirk as we ride in the truck with Gunner. I turn my face towards the window and roll my eyes. I don't care what he's thinking. I think about Darcy. I told her since it's a free day tomorrow she could stay in my apartment with Socks so he isn't lonely tonight.

My mind wanders all over her. But I get stuck thinking about her eyes and whether or not she passes initiation I think I'm going to ask her–

"There it is." Gunner points and Eric and I both look. The wire that links the buildings. It glows blue.

"What does it do?" I ask. I honestly am not listening as they start talking about it. We get out and I follow with sheer boredom weighing me down. I just want to go home and climb into bed with my girl and our pup. I pull my phone out and start a text to her as Eric and Gunner are talkin' all nerdy and shit. Mostly Eric explaining something about the wire.

I lean against a wall just in an alleyway.

I miss you. I push send and look over at a couple factionless sitting deeper in the alley. They don't look too good. I walk down. "You guys alright?" I ask.

"Yeah." One says weakly. "You have any food?"

"No, sorry." I say as I look down at my phone. It lights up with her smile and Socks' furry snout. He's licking her face. He loves her just as much as I do. There's a weird sound and I turn around to see a few men about my size. "How's it going?" I nod at the one dragging a broken pipe along. That's the sound I heard. They don't say anything.

I can't really say where I dropped my phone. I catch one fist and another comes at me. But that other fist has a knife in it. It's the second stab I feel. Hot pain. I don't stop though. I beat my fist against one man and I take down another two. But five against one is not good when I'm losing blood. The world sways and my fist falters and thats when the cold, metal hits my face. I stumble to the right and fall to my knees. I look back up at him just as he swings that pipe again.


	24. Chapter 24

**Friday has arrived so here's the next chapter in which Eric is going to be the hero that we know he can be as well. Rated M for mature stuff.**

 **Enjoy, review, have a great weekend and see you all on Monday xoxox**

* * *

 **Eric**

I find her sitting against my front door with a tear-stained face.  
She looks up from her hands when I approach her slowly, and my heart breaks when I see the shame and hurt on her beautiful face.  
I extend a hand towards her and relief washes over me when she grabs it after some hesitation. I pull her up and our fingers entwine as I open the door and let us into my place. To be able of touching her again, feeling her warmth and soft skin is just so… fucking incredible.

"So, you really love me?" Melanie asks me shyly with a voice barely over a whisper as soon as the door closes behind us. "You meant everything you said about me?"

"Every single word and a thousand more."

She swallows thickly and then her bottom lip begins to quiver. "You never told me that you love me…"

I pull her closer and she let me wrap my arms around her. "I should have," I whisper as I breathe in her scent. "I'm so sorry, Cupcake."

She begins to tremble and presses her face in the crook of my neck as she begins to weep softly. "Me too. I can't believe I attacked Darcy… and that I hated you so much!"

I hug her tighter and stroke her back. "She has really helped me these past few days," I sigh. "I don't know what I would've done if it hadn't been for that wacko fire starter."

"She's like the sister I never had and still I hurt her!" Melanie squeals hoarsely against my chest.

"Only because I hurt you first."

She tilts her head and the next moment I shudder when I feel her lips against my throat. I look down at her and capture her mouth with mine. She whimpers softly and my response to the small sound is nothing short of beastlike.  
I kiss her mouth, her neck, her throat, her face, while my hands cup her breasts and then grab the back of her thighs to hoist her up.  
She immediately wraps those sexy legs around me hips and all but devours me as I stumble into the direction of my bedroom. I'm not sure if we're going to make it in time, but I'll be damned to fuck her in the living room like she's some wasted skank I picked up at a club. I throw her on my bed, and yank her sneakers and pants off. I barely have enough time to free myself when she pulls me on top of her and holds me in position with her arms and legs tightly wrapped around me. She cries out when I enter her and it abso-fucking-lutely feels like I'm finally home.

"Hard and fast," she growls in my ear, and who am I to refuse her?

I get on my knees and wrap one arm around her waist. With my free hand I grab the headboard and I begin to thrust as hard and fast as I can. The sounds she is soon making while staring up at me in pure adoration just blows my mind. It feels like I'm dreaming or losing my goddamn mind. I still can't believe that I almost lost her, but she is really here with me, where she belongs. She reaches out and cups my face with both hands, pulling me towards her as she meets my thrusts.

"I love you," she moans feverishly against my lips as she tightens around me.

I grit my teeth and curse loudly when my release hits me too soon. I moan her name as I fill her with hot spurts and colourful spots appear in my vision when she clenches her inner muscles once again.

She stops me when I want to pull out of her. "Not yet, baby," she pants.

I carefully lower myself on top of her and kiss her delicious dark skin wherever I can.

"I really love you, Melanie. Stay with me tonight, and tomorrow."

"Okay," she smiles. "But we have a lot of talking to do, Eric."

"I have to go to the city with your brother and Riley in a while for a security system check-up," I tell her, "but I'll be back before you know it, and then we'll talk, okay?"

She bites her bottom lip and her shy smile turns wicked. "So, is there enough time left for round two?"

My abdomen tightens when lust surges through my veins and my dick stirs inside her.

"Oh, hell yeah!" I growl.

* * *

"By the way, Gunner knows about us," I tell her as I pull on a clean shirt.

Melanie freezes in the middle of her yawn, her eyes and mouth open wide in surprise. "How do you mean he knows about us? You told him?"

I sit down beside her on the bed and run my fingers through her soft curls. "I told him that I love you and that we're together."

"When?"

Mesmerised I stare at her mouth when the tip of her tongue darts out and she slowly licks her luscious lips. Fuck, I need to have her again. She rolls her eyes and smirks when she sees the hungry look on my face.

"Eric," she warns me in a low voice, placing her hands against my chest to stop me from pulling her closer. "When?"

I clear my throat and force myself to make eye-contact, but her beautiful amber-coloured eyes only awake the beast in me further. She's just perfect in every way. "He heard the ringtone that night you called me," I chuckle.

Her hands fly towards her mouth when she gasps loudly, and then she begins to laugh. "Oh, my god, Eric! And he didn't kill you?"

My fingers curl around the back of her neck and I manage to capture her mouth with mine. "He tried to," I sigh against her lips, and I grit my teeth when I think back to that night.

She cups my face and let out a deep sigh. "We almost fucked it up, Eric. So stupid…"

I pull her onto my lap and just hold her tight. "I know... But we're good again?"

"Yes, I think we are," she whispers against my throat. "But we really need to talk about it, okay? This can't ever happen again."

"Yes, we will, I promise. So… you're going to make me some muffins?"

I hiss then laughs when she bites me - hard. "You'll have to earn them first, Muffin Man," she says with her trademark smirk as she slaps the back of my head.

I throw her on the bed and quickly move on top of her, ready for round three. "Yes, ma'am," I smirk.

* * *

There's a knock on the front door just when we walk into the living room. I go and open the door and can't stop a grin from spreading on my face as I greet Gunner. He frowns at me, then he sees Melanie standing behind me and his entire expression turns sour.

"Dude." He glares between me and his sister who is practically glowing.

"Shut up, man," I chuckle. "I haven't seen her all week except during training. I thought you were cool with it?"

"I was… I mean, I am, but… This is just so fucking weird, man..." He stands awkwardly in the middle of the living room, clearly feeling mighty uncomfortable with the entire situation.

Luckily for him Melanie does know how to react - by giving him a warm hug. "Hey, Gun."

Gunner sighs as he wraps an arm around his sister and presses his lips against her forehead. "You're alright, Mel?" She nods, smiling. "How's your throat?"

"It's fine, I'm fine. Still a bit hoarse, but they have some pretty good stuff at the infirmary, man. The swelling is gone."

He studies her closely for a moment. "So you and Eric, huh?"

"Yeah…" The smile she gives him could make the sun envious of its radiance, and by the gods, I don't want to leave her now. Or ever.

"Fuck, man, my best mate and my sister…" he shudders then rolls his eyes when I pull Melanie to me for some lips-and-tongue action. "Dude, nuh-uh! Not in front of me, man! Gimme another year to get ready for that shit!"

"Go wait outside then," I growl while Melanie sucks her teeth at him. "Prude…"

He looks at us and shudders again before he opens the door. "Jesus fuck, the end of the world is upon us – again…"

Ten minutes later I stumble out of my apartment, panting loudly while pulling up the zipper of my fly.

Gunner glares at me with all his might, and I'm seriously afraid that he's going to pop a fuss or something when I burst out into laughter.

* * *

Riley is ignoring me like a boss in the truck, but I can't stop smirking.

While Gunner is driving I quickly text Melanie with the latest update I know she would be interested in. _R & D are totally doing each other – just caught them tonsil boxing. I need therapy now, and lots of muffins so start baking, Cupcake._

While awaiting her reaction I send another text. _And what's with the mutt? Whose dog is that?_

My phone rings twice before I answer it. Gunner snorts with a satisfied smirk playing around his lips when he hears the boring ringtone.

"The mutt is their puppy and his name is Socks with an O, and I knew it! I just knew it!" Melanie laughs in my ear, and I just get hard from the sound of her voice. "Oh, by the way, Four called her twice while we were talking."

I frown at that. "Did he now? Hmm…"

There is something fishy going on between Pyro and the man whose mere existence has been insulting me since day one. I can't pinpoint it, but the way he's been acting around her is atypical. I don't really care about their business, but I owe that girl my sanity and life, and Melanie cares deeply for her, as does Riley.

"Why the 'Hmm'?" Melanie asks me, and I can hear that her mind is going into overdrive.

"Nothing, really," I say calmly. "These past few days I've noticed that Number Boy is overly friendly with her."

It is her time to hum and she goes quiet for a moment before she says, "Okay, well, never mind then. Maybe he's trying to help her with training. Enough about Five-Minus-One. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"Yes you will," I say, smiling, "with muffins, Mel. I need your muffins."

"There will be at least three ready for you to eat when you get back," she giggles and my lower abdominal muscles tighten painfully when I immediately picture my mouth on her muffins.

"Don't!" I groan while closing my eyes. "Your brother is still glaring at me. I've got to go, Mel."

At that Gunner shoots me a warning glance that reminds me of Melody, and I begin to worry how strong that woman's genes must truly be. Any offspring of Melanie and I will be a real Medusa. Damn…

"Aright, be safe, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. Get some sleep."

"There it is," Gunner says suddenly, and I follow his finger as he points to a wire between two building. The wire is glowing blue and even above the engine of the truck I can hear the electrical humming it produces.

"What does it do?" Riley asks as we get out.

"They're tapping electricity," I muse. "The blue glow is caused by a corona discharge, meaning that there is too much electricity running through that wire. This explains why there have been small pulses on the power grid in some parts of the city lately."

Gunner grunts, clearly not liking what he is hearing. "Tapping from the power grid is one thing, but this is downright dangerous!"

I nod as I try to see where the wire is going to. "The question is why they would need this amount of power. We're not talking about the ability of using an electric heater here. There's enough electricity going through it to light a whole section."

Suddenly I hear a scuffling sound nearby. I turn to look and see that Riley isn't with us. Gunner starts talking again but I cut him off with a hand signal when I hear the sound again.  
It's coming from an alley nearby.  
I signal Gunner to follow me and as we get closer I can clearly hear a commotion like… fighting.

Immediately we spring into action. I unsheathe my hunting knife the second I run into the alley and see Riley lying on the ground with three men kicking and hitting him.  
The one with the bloodied pipe in his hands spins towards me as soon as he hears me approaching, but before he can swing at me my knife is already deeply lodged in his armpit. I give my knife a vicious twist and pull it out of him before he falls on the ground.  
Gunner eliminates another, but the third man runs away before I can reach him. I glance at the other men on the ground and see that they are still unconscious, but I'm not taking any risk. I roll them over and tie their wrists together with the tie straps we all carry with us.

Only then do I look at Riley and I freeze when a deep terror seizes me.  
No amount of training or experience could've prevented the fear and shock when I see and hear him choking on his own blood.  
But it only last for one second before I snap out of it. If I don't do something Riley will die.

"Not on my watch, buddy," I sneer as I kneel down beside him and roll him on his side, facing me.

Gunner is already on his phone, calling in for help, when he kneels behind Riley. He puts his phone down on the ground and put the operator on speaker.

"Multiple stabbing wounds in his torso," I say as we examine Riley quickly but thoroughly. Gunner holds his neck still as my fingers glide over Riley's battered face. "He has a fractured jaw and cheekbones. CPR won't work since he's choking on his own blood."

"Eric, this is Kevin from the infirmary," another voice suddenly sounds over the speaker. "Would it be possible to perform a tracheotomy?"

I look up at Gunner for a second and it is clear that we're thinking the same thing. Without a word he searches his pocket until he finds what he's been looking for.  
I stare at the pen for a second or two, then take a deep breath and nod brusquely.

"Yes," I say firmly to Gunner and Kevin - and to myself.

My Erudite days are long gone, but the necessary knowledge hasn't left me. There is no room left for doubt.  
If I don't do it, Riley will die.  
If I fuck it up, Riley will die.

Gunner disassembles the pen and holds the empty barrel ready as I carefully roll Riley back on his back. My fingers find his Adam's apple and move further down until I feel another bulge. I grab my knife and quickly make an incision there and slide my little finger in it to open it further. Gunner hands me the pen and I carefully replace my finger with it and I can hear the air being sucked into the plastic tube.

Riley eyes flutter open and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Jesus fucking Christ, man," Gunner pants.

"What's happening?" Kevin asks urgently.

"He's breathing on his own," Gunner tells him.

"Well done! Keep him stable and continue checking his pulse. Help is on its way."

Minutes feel like hours and as soon as the ambulance arrives they move fast. Riley has lost consciousness again as I climb into the back of the ambulance to ride with him. I feel like I'm having an out of body experience as they say he's crashing and bring out those metal paddles.

Shit!

I can barely see around them, but I do see his body lurch with the shock. They have to do it two more times before his heart starts again.  
No matter what life teaches you or what people say, no one is ever ready to face death. Even I fear it, although I have come to accept the inevitable. Death is all around us, our one true companion. But this time, Riley has defeated it once again, with my help and Gunner's.

But fuck, it has been close… too close…


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 already, people! WOW! Much love to all of you who still read and love this story, who take their time to comment, review, and PM me. Also my special thanks to all of the guests who have commented. I'm sorry I can't answer you in a PM, but please know that your reviews are just as precious!**

 **Okay, enough Amity pansy stuff! Read, enjoy, review, and see you on Wednesday! xoxox**

* * *

 **Riley**

I stare down at Darcy as her arms are wrapped around my neck, her smile sweet and her eyes watching me. She's so happy. I pull her close and kiss her. I feel so warm and pleasant. She speaks but I can't hear what she says. The sunlight all around is so bright and the dust particles in the air send fractures of light around us. She turns and pulls my hand to follow her through tall grass, she's wearing a light blue dress and when she turns her head to look back at me I feel nothing but content.

But then there's sharp pain that hits me like lightning and she's gone.

* * *

 **Darcy**

I'm just getting Socks dried off and making a little bed of blankets in the corner when he starts howling for no reason. "Socks, stop. It's bed time." I mumble and scratch his head but he growls at me. What is wrong with him? He bolts away from me and runs into the living room where Melanie is sitting on the couch. She picks him up and looks at me.

"So are you still going to try and convince me that you and Riley aren't swapping spit?"

I sigh and sit down next to her and scratch Socks on the head, "Okay. We've swapped a lot of spit." I mumble.

"I knew it!" She squeals. "You need to tell me everything."

"Everything?" I cringe. I don't want to tell her everything.

"Every. Thing." She grins.

"I don't think you want to hear that."

"Have you guys been sleeping together?"

"We…" My voice gets all squeaky and I refuse to talk. I can tell I'm probably bright red thinking about Riley naked.

Melanie is just laughing.

"He's sweet." I mumble.

"Just sweet?" She smirks.

"No." I bite my lip and smile. "He's the only guy I've ever been with."

"So he popped your cherry, hm?"

"Ugh, Melanie!" I cover my face with my hands, if I blush any harder I'm gonna die. Just when I thought her laughter couldn't get any louder, it does.

After a while of talking Socks falls asleep in Melanie's lap so I carry him into the bedroom and put him on his nest of blankets near Riley's dresser. He's so cute. Melanie comes in and we climb into Riley's bed and stare at the ceiling and talk for a bit. I'm glad she's not mad at me anymore and that I don't have to sleep in the dorm tonight. I like Riley's apartment much better. It feels safer. I doze off but wake to Melanie shaking me gently.

"Darcy..." she whispers.

"Hm.."

"Wake up, Riley's in the hospital." She hisses, I look at her with her phone to her ear. I can hear Eric talking on the other end.

"What happened?"

"What happened, Eric?" She's quiet for a whole fucking minute. And I'm trying to be patient. She looks at me and I can tell she's trying to keep it together.

"Melanie." I snap. "What. Happened."

"He got ambushed." She whispers numbly. "Okay," She says into her phone, "Yeah, I'll see you soon."

"What does that mean–ambushed? What–how does that–How did he get ambushed?" I look around for my phone. "What happened?" I shake my head as I fiddle with my phone and find Riley's number. I call it but it goes straight to voicemail. My hands are shaking.

"Eric only said he got ambushed. He didn't say anything else."

"His phone is off or something." I whisper as I call again and get his voicemail. His gruff voice telling me to leave a message. I throw the blankets off and stand up, "Where–what hospital?"

"Erudite." Melanie says, "But Eric and Gunner are on their way back right now."

What the fuck does 'ambushed' mean? Is he okay? What the fuck? Why wouldn't Eric tell Melanie more? I sit back down on the bed and I don't know what to do. I feel helpless. I have no idea what is going on. Thirty minutes later I hear the front door being unlocked. Melanie and I walk slowly into the living room and I see Gunner walk through with Eric behind him; Eric has blood up to his elbows and I don't think any of it is his. Melanie tuns to them, passing Gunner and throws her arms around Eric, and cries into his shirt.

"I'm fine." Gunner says, "In case you were worried."

"Gunner, is Riley okay?" I ask numbly.

"Some factionless ganged up on him. About five or six of 'em. He was stabbed a couple times. He lost a lot of blood." He glances at Eric, "They resuscitated him once and got him stabilized." He says. "His jaw was broken and when the guy stabbed him I guess this got in the way… probably saved his guts."

Gunner holds something up and I see my lighter. "I'm guessing it belongs to you." I take it with trembling fingers and turn it over. There's blood on it and a nasty gouge in the metal. An evil intention.

They had to resuscitate him. Which means he died. I feel sick. I turn slowly, I need to sit down. My hand touches the wall and I try to gradually lower myself to the floor. But I think I fall. I'm not sure. And I don't know who carries me to the bed. I haven't blacked out, but my body doesn't seem to know what to do so I'm still. I feel Socks snuggle up next to me.

* * *

After a few days they transfer Riley to the intensive care wing in the Infirmary at Dauntless.

I stand in the hall staring in through the window. The curtain is pulled so I can't see Riley but his boots are on the floor at the foot of his bed. I overheard one of the nurses talking to Max saying that he could've drowned in his own blood but Eric prevented it.

"What are you doing here?" I look over. Speak of the devil. Eric has his arms folded and stares at me as if he's waiting for me to have a meltdown, "You should be training."

I look back through the window, "Four has given us all the day off." I mumble.

"Do you want to go in and see him?"

"No." I say quickly. "I… can't. I need to go get Socks and take him for a walk." The words feel numb coming from my lips. Honestly… all of me has felt numb for days now. I clear my throat and glance at Eric before stepping away from the window and turning to go. Eric grabs my arm gently and I look up at him.

"I think he'd like to see you." He says quietly.

"He knows what I look like." What an asshole thing to say. Eric's brow furrows as I pull my arm from his grip and walk away. It's not that I'm afraid I'll cry in front of Riley because I know I won't. In fact I haven't cried at all and it's worrying me because shouldn't I cry about this? I've cried over lesser things. Kill a dog in a movie and I'll soak the carpet with tears. Almost kill my… Riley… and I.. what, nothing. I realize I'm trying to force it by thinking about the worst thoughts.

About Gunner explaining the sight of Riley lying in the alleyway. I think about Eric covered in his blood. I even pull my lighter out of my pocket and rub my thumb over the scarred metal. Fucking cry. Cry! Nothing.

Four has left me alone for the past few days thank god. I walk to Riley's apartment and get Socks to take him for his walk. The whole compound is in some sort of weird funk with Riley down. I see a lot of people heading toward the infirmary to visit him. I'm probably a shitty person for not going in to see him but I really don't know how to handle those kinds of situations. There was a day a few years ago that one of Danielle's friends got killed in some weird accident doing god knows what and Danielle was really torn up about it but I didn't know how to comfort her or what to say. Not that she wanted me to comfort her anyway.

Thinking about Riley being resuscitated makes my chest hurt. I've seen those cheesy romance movies where one of the characters gets hurt and the other person is there for them and just twisted up about whatever caused the hurt. It's a classic obstacle in any romance story but honestly this isn't that. He died and I think that's where I'm stuck. I can't wrap my head around the fact that he's still alive. Or… he was brought back to life.

Socks barks at me and licks my hands as I try to get the leash on him. I tried to take him to see Riley last night but I got stuck at the window again. Staring at his boots. There's blood on his boots. I stare at the wall as Socks' tail whips my leg. I try to summon any tears waiting. "Fuck." I blink and look down at the dog. "Maybe later, right?" He only lets his tongue hang out in reply.

* * *

 **Riley**

"Hey, buddy." I hear Eric and I open my eyes to look at him standing at the end of the cot.

"mm.." Is all I can give him. My mouth is wired shut tight and I feel like I got hit by a train.

"You look like shit." He smiles. "I can't believe they had to shave your face."

I roll my eyes. Don't fucking remind me.

"Your girlfriend was just here. But she didn't want to come inside." He says. I lift my eyebrows in question. He shrugs, "I don't know. I think she's afraid of crying in front of you."

I would love to see Darcy right now. I clear my throat and try to talk but it hurts. I need water. Eric steps over and pours some into a cup. He helps me take a sip and I fall back on the pillow with a groan. Jesus fucking shit. What the fuck happened? I lift the blanket.

"You got stabbed a few times." Eric says with a tone of boredom. "But that's not the best part. You obviously know now that your jaw is broken. God, you looked horrible in that alley." He laughs lightly but I can tell he's masking something. He clears his throat and looks back to me. "Don't you ever fucking do that again. I can't be saving your ass all the time." He smiles. I laugh and then immediately regret it. He's one to talk about saving asses. "You should rest." He says, "Melody said she is going to come by later."

I nod weakly and watch him leave. The pain becomes near unbearable and even though I vehemently shake my head the nurses still administer the pain meds through an IV which fucking hit me like a ton of bricks and before I can even groan I fall asleep.

I dream about Darcy. She's all I fucking dream about. I'm tired of dreaming about her. I want to feel her. See her for real.

I feel fingers comb through my hair, bringing me back to the surface and I try to open my eyes, they feel heavy. I blink slowly and see Melody standing at my side looking down at me with that motherly thing she does. "Hey there." She smiles and I nod gently. I can't do much more than that.

"You doing okay?" She asks. I nod. "Eric said that Darcy came by but she didn't come in."

She won't come in. I look around and find a pen and paper on the side table. I write and then hand it to Melody.

"Will I talk to her?" She says. "I could if you want, sweetie." She smiles. "So does this mean you two are…?" She tilts her head and I shrug and nod. "Okay." She hands me the notepad back and I write again and hand it to her again, "I'll let her know." She smiles softly and it reminds me of my mother. Melody can be the softest person in the world.

* * *

 **Darcy**

I let Socks off the leash so he can go fucking nuts. He loves being outside and I laugh a little when he chases the pigeons. I wish Riley could see this. My smile falls slightly when I think of him. I should really go see him. I have been staying at his apartment, direct orders from Riley for me to take care of his dog. Our dog. Sleeping in his bed without him is becoming more and more difficult every night and I've found myself at the window a couple times staring in at the curtain that conceals him.

I whistle and Socks comes back to me with a stick in his mouth, he's growling about it. He does this with his Riley shirt. He likes to tell me about his toys.

"That's a cute dog."

I stand straight with a chill in the core of my spine and look over my shoulder at Four. "Thanks.." I mumble.

"So it's yours?"

"Uh.. no." I look down at Socks, he growls at Four and I trust his instinct. "He's Riley's."

"Really?" Four looks around as he steps closer. "I didn't know Riley even liked animals."

"He loves animals." I say holding my chin up a little.

"You know him that well, hm?" Four raises an eyebrow. Shit.

"No. Not really." My eyes wander away from Four but come back when he takes another step toward me. I bend down and pick up Socks, he doesn't break his growl at Four.

"That's funny." He says. That's it. What's funny you stupid fuck? He's baiting me.

I sigh, "What's funny…" I roll my eyes.

"Nothing." He smiles and reaches forward to pet Socks but Socks nips at him and Four pulls his hand away. "Keep him on a leash. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him." Four says and I don't like the way he says it because it reminds me of standing in the dorm with him that day. I watch Four as I step around him and carry Socks back inside.

I decide I'll just eat in the apartment. As I come out of the stairwell I see Melody standing in front of Riley's door and I almost turn back around. But she sees me and waves. I try to smile. I'm not sure it's convincing.

"How are you doing, honey?" She asks as I get to the door. She's holding a small bag.

"I'm okay. Melanie is in the cafeteria and so is Eric."

"I came to see you." She smiles and follows me into the apartment. Fuck. I'm in trouble for something.

"Did I.. Have I don't something wrong?" I try to swallow but my throat has gone dry. I set Socks down and look back at Melody.

"What? No." She laughs. She and Melanie have the same warm laugh. It soothes my nerves only a little. I stay quiet because I don't know what to do or say. Her copper eyes hold me in place, "I went to see Riley."

"Oh." Oh god. Does she know? She must.

"You haven't been to see him."

"Should I?" I say carefully. She tilts her head and raises her eyebrow and she looks just like Melanie and it's a little scary. I sigh. "I… I really don't know what to say." I surrender any perjuries because I know Melody can see right through me.

"Why haven't you been to see him?" She sits at the breakfast bar and sets that bag on the counter.

"Because I don't know how I'm supposed to react." I say.

"I don't think there's a right or wrong way to react with this, sweetheart" She says softly, I feel comfortable enough to walk into the kitchen. She turns on the stool and watches me.

"I'll visit him." I say hollowly. Will I?

"He wants to see you. Actually, you're the only person he wants to see." She sighs. "I think it would do him some good if you did go and visit."

I stare into the fridge forgetting what I'm looking for. I reach in blindly and pull out a soda.

"Look it's your decision whether or not you go to see him. But I'm just letting you know he told me–well wrote it down, that he wants to see you. And that he loves you." My jaw clenches at her last words and I stifle the painful shriek that dies in my lungs. I clear my throat.

"Okay." I say.

"Okay. I'm going to get home and feed my family. You let me know if you need anything, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am." I watch her let herself out and I turn back to see Socks sitting exactly where I left him. Even he didn't dare move. The apartment feels incredibly empty now. I take the bag off the counter and look into it, it's Riley's stuff. Wallet, phone, keys, cigarettes. I set the bag on the night stand and walk back into the kitchen.

I feed myself…barely. I shower… barely. I crawl into Riley's bed and watch Socks make himself comfortable in his own little blanket nest. Riley's pillow has a v-shaped dent from my arm. I miss him. I look over at that bag again and I reach into it pulling his pack of cigarettes out, opening them and touching my fingertips to the white sticks. They smell like him. I grab his phone and brush my thumb across the cracked screen. It wasn't like this when he left. I reach over and plug it in. The screen lights up and a few seconds later I unlock it only to see my own face. The picture I sent him. He dropped his phone. It dawns on me. He was looking at my picture when it happened.

I settle deep in the blankets and pull his pillow over my head like I have every night. I fall asleep holding his pack of cigarettes in one hand and his phone in the other.

I'm not sure what I dream about but when I become lucid I'm already half way down the stairwell. I almost trip and I grab the railing. I'm in my pajama shorts and tank, my feet are cold on the concrete steps. And I don't realize until I'm full on sprinting down another hallway going toward the infirmary that I'm crying.

I get to his room and pull the heavy door open and then I'm standing at the end of his cot. He's asleep. My body doesn't really give my mind a chance to talk myself out of this. I'm already crawling onto the bed with him. Still crying. I feel him inhale deeply as I bury my face against his neck and his arms wrap around me.


	26. Chapter 26

Wednesday MUffins Day! I usually post my chapters shortly after midnight, but last night I was out stone cold due to a migraine and an ear infection while being thoroughly shaken by the events in my neighbouring land Belgium.

Here's the next (very short) chapter in which Melanie and Eric make a decision. We have skipped a few days in the story for a better flow of events. Enjoy, review and see you on Feisty Friday! Pray for all victims in Belgium and the rest of world, Muffins - LET LOVE WIN! xoxoxox

* * *

 **Melanie**

Eric rolls off of me and onto his back, pulling me with him. I lay my head on his chest and for a long time we just lie still while catching our breath, both lost in our own thoughts.

"Stay with me again," he whispers suddenly in a hoarse voice.

"I will," I whisper back. "To hell with the rules."

For days now I've watched Darcy like a momma-bear, and staying with Eric makes it easier for me to be there for her whenever she needs me. I can't even imagine what she must be going through. Just the thought that I can lose Eric is just…  
I bite my quivering bottom lip and try to swallow the lump in my throat as fear settles in the pit of my stomach. This isn't the first time Riley have been seriously injured. Even Gunner and Eric have been brought to the infirmary on several occasions. But this is the first time someone had to actually be resuscitated.  
I grimace when a wave of nausea hits me and I groan softly as I shallow a few times when I taste the bile in the back of my throat.

Eric lets out a deep sigh as he tightens his arms around me, and begins to stroke my back and shoulders. "He's going to be alright, Mel. He's coming home today."

"I know," I whisper against his throat. "Thanks to you."

He stays quiet and just grunts. There is nothing left to say, really.  
He has told me everything that has happened, and I am still shocked and awed at the same time. Over the years I sometimes made fun of his detached Erudite manners, but in the end Eric had known what to do to save Riley, together with my brother. The three Musketeers: All for one, and one for all.

"We need to discuss a few things," Eric whispers in my hair. "Just to be sure we're on the same page."

I raise my head a bit to look at him. "What do you mean?" I ask though I know damn well what he's referring to.

"Melanie," he warns quietly, clearly not in the mood for my evasiveness. "Too much has happened, and I've realised that some things are changing between us. I still have to prove to you that you can trust me, and that will take some time. But you also need to face the possibility of me not— "

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I snap, holding myself up to look at him more directly.

"I'm talking about the obvious. I want to know that you're going to be okay if anything should happen to me."

That is the last thing I want to discuss right now – or ever!

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Eric!" I shout, and I don't care that I sound like a frightened four-year old because I _am_ scared shitless. The thought that I might lose him is just too much right now even when it is a possibility that I will have to face one day.  
He grabs my neck and pulls me closer, and fear flutters briefly inside my stomach.

"You know I'm right, Mel," he says quietly while his eyes drill into mine. "We really can't ignore certain things any longer. They're going to become obvious eventually if we continue to be reckless."

"I know," I groan, fighting against my tears. "So, what now? You think we should wait until after initiation?"

"I think we should be careful," he says gently. "At least until after initiation. Let's just continue rebuilding our bond in the meantime." He's doing that Erudite face again. He's looking at all possible outcomes and I hate him for doing that – because he's right.

"Alright," I sigh, feeling utterly miserable.

"What's wrong?" he asks as his eyes roam all over my face.

I shake my head. "Nothing," I lie. "I need to go check on Darcy and make sure she's alright before training begins."

I roll off of him and towards the edge of the bed, but he grabs my arm and stops me halfway. "Melanie…"

I look over my shoulder to him and cock an eyebrow. "Eric."

Smirking, he shakes his head and let's go of me. "If looks could kill…"

Yeah, whatever.  
I stomp into the bathroom and slams the door shut behind me. I lean against the door when the first sob escapes me. I'm so fucked!

* * *

Lauren has given us the day off and I decide to go to the infirmary to await Riley's arrival – and to see a nurse about contraception.

"Hey, Melanie," the nurse behind the desk greets me as soon as I walk in.

I put a smile on my face and lean against the desk. "Hi, Piper. How are you?"

"I'm okay. Are you here for your throat?"

I shake my head as I look around before I lean towards her. "I need to know a few things about contraception," I whisper.

She leans closer. "Why are we whispering?"

"I don't know!" I whisper back, giggling nervously.

She winks at me and nods towards an empty cubicle at my left as she grabs a tablet. "We have about five minutes before Riley arrives and this place becomes swarmed with people."

I follow her and sit down as she takes place behind the small desk and comes directly to business.

"There are different types of contraception which you are allowed to use till the age of twenty," she explains calmly. "Not all contraceptive methods are appropriate for all situations, and the most appropriate method of birth control depends on a woman's overall health, age, frequency of sexual activity, number of sexual partners, desire to have children in the future, and family history of certain diseases."

She chuckles when she sees the confused look on my face and tries it again. "Do you want children in the near future?" I swallow nervously then nods. "And are your periods regular?"

I nod again. "My next period is due within two days. My mom always told me to keep track of my periods."

"Wise woman," Piper smiles. "Light, normal or heavy blood loss?"

I shrug. "Light, I think. No cramps, and it usually last for 4 to 5 days."

"Then I would suggest an IUD that the doctor will insert in your uterus," she says. "It is a safe method with minimal health risks, and it can be removed whenever you want."

"And when can it be placed?" I ask quietly, suddenly feeling very sad. Truth be told, I don't want to be here. I don't want foreign objects placed inside of me to prevent me from getting pregnant, but Eric was right: we have been taking too many risks these past few weeks – risks we shouldn't be taking just yet.

"Seven days after your period has begun. Do you want me to make an appointment for you?"

I clear my throat and nod, and my heart grows heavier when she begins to type away on the tablet.

* * *

Five minutes later I'm standing amongst a small crowd of leaders and commanders with Gunner, Eric, and my mom in the corridor outside the infirmary.  
Everybody is tense and remarkably quiet, and here and there only a few people are whispering while we wait for the medical transport to arrive.  
While Eric is talking with Gunner about the ongoing investigation about Riley's assault, he's holding my hand behind his back, prompting my mom to smile proudly whenever she glances towards our entwined fingers.

"You're alright, mom?" I ask her.

Her smile falters briefly before transforming into a warm one. "I'm doing fine, Mel. The bastard gave us all a good scare, but he's going to be okay."

Her eyes dart towards our joined hands again and I know she's dying to ask me about us. Sure enough she leans closer and whispers in my ear, "Since when?"

"The day after family dinner," I whisper.

She smirks smugly with glistening eyes. "No wonder you were hurting the week before that, Mel! I'm surprise you can still walk!"

I burst in a fit of giggles and within seconds my mom joins me. Just the fact that my mother is giggling is causing shockwaves of louder growing laughter until I'm practically crying and doubling over while holding my belly. Soon many, if not everyone around us, begin to chuckle as well, and just for a long delightful moment we are able to forget this horrible week.

"Here he comes," someone says suddenly and it's like having ice cold water suddenly thrown over you.

With a tight throat and an even tighter chest I watch the group of blue-clad doctors and Dauntless nurses lead by Max and Ian approaching us.  
As they pass us, I catches a glimpse of Riley and I gasp when I see the stitches and bruises on his pale face. His beard is gone as well, and I can't help but think of Darcy and her weird beard-fetish.  
I'm sad that she isn't here with us, but I also understand and respect her decision not to come.  
Eric gives my hand a gentle squeeze and nods with a grim expression to my mom before he and Gunner follow Riley and Max into the infirmary.  
Mom wraps an arm around my shoulders and it is only then that I notice the silent tears running down my cheeks.

I quickly brush them away before anyone else can see them. I am Dauntless.

Dauntless don't cry...


	27. Chapter 27

**It's Feisty Friday and Riley is BACK! WOOHOO! And he's going to drop the bomb on Darcy, several, six to be more correctly xD. Enjoy, have a great weekend, and see you on Monday xoxox**

* * *

 **Darcy**

After a few more days Riley gets to come back to his apartment. His arm is slung over my shoulders and his hand is flat on his bandaged side as we walk down the hallway. Since he's in charge of me he has assigned me to take care of him. Which I'm totally fine with. It gets me away from Four and I don't have to answer to anyone but Riley. I get him to the apartment and in bed. Socks is so happy to see him I think his tail is going to fall off if it wags any harder.

I make him some lunch which is really just a smoothie. He drinks three big glasses of it and then falls asleep with Socks in the bedroom. His pain pills make him sleepy so I'm going to make sure he eats when he takes them since he'll be asleep for five or six hours until they wear off again. I get a routine going for him. Shower every morning. Breakfast. I let him workout only for about an hour and nothing heavy until he get's his stitches out. Then I make him lunch, a semi-solid meal. We take Socks for his walk in the afternoons and then come back to the apartment. I'm so delighted I don't have to go to training. I don't have to go meet Four. I'm internally screaming excitedly every time I realize this. I make easy to eat food for his dinners and then I say goodnight and go back to the dorms at night.

Every day one of the nurses from the infirmary comes up and checks him. Her name is Shannon. She's pretty and kind which is okay. But she flirts with him relentlessly which is not okay. I don't say anything though. And Riley doesn't say anything because his mouth is wired shut to keep his jaw in place to heal. When ever he does say something I can tell it hurts him.

I smile at Shannon as she leaves and then I deadbolt the door and my smile falls. As I walk into the bedroom Riley looks at me. "You know.. you could marry her. But there's a problem." I say, he narrows his eyes at me, "Her name would be Shannon O'Bannon." It's so hard to say with a straight face. Riley rolls his eyes and laughs lightly then groans. He shakes his head and points at me.

"What?" I smile and sit down next to him. He points to me again and then at himself. I shake my head. I don't understand. He waves me over and I scoot closer to him.

"You." He says through his teeth, his voice is raspier than usual. "O'Bannon."

"Riley," I shake my head, "Did you take too much?" I grab the pain pills off his nightstand, he's confused. He shakes his head and gently takes the bottle out of my hand.

"Darce," He whispers, "marry me."

I look down at his hand in mine and then I look back to him and smile weakly, "I'm not sure you're thinking clearly." I whisper.

"I.. am." He blinks painfully and tries to sit up but I stop him. "Marry me."

"Why don't you ask me again when you're not on your pain pills, okay?" He's got to be exhausted. I stand up but he grabs my hand and I look down at him. I can see in his eyes that he doesn't want me to go, but I have to. "Riley, I have to get back to the dorm."

"No," He pulls me down onto him and groans but he holds me there. "I… love you. Do you love….me?"

"Yes. I love you." I whisper as I look him in the eyes.

"Marry me."

"You haven't even known me for a year." I say.

He shakes his head, "Don't have to."

"No," I shake my head, "I won't marry you." I push myself up and off him.

"Why?"

"Why? Because you died, Riley. You fucking died–"

"Hardly my…fault." He growls. "Besides… it's not like it's… the first time."

"You've died before?!" I snap.

"Close." He nods.

"You're asking me to marry you because you experienced something horrible. You and I get married, you're happy for what? Six months? Then you realize you've made a mistake." My hands are shaking.

He's shaking his head. He sits up, his eyes close and I know he's in pain which means he hasn't taken his pain pills… "No." is all he says.

"Yes." I nod. He throws the blankets off his legs and gets up slowly. "Riley, you need to stay in bed." I look at the bandage on his side as he stands in front of me.

"I'm not dead." He says. "I… was going…to ask you… when I got back."

I need to sit down. I could sit on the bed but I end up lowering myself to the floor instead. He sits down in front of me and holds my hand.

I look at him and I'm not sure what is happening. I've never thought about getting married. I've never delved into any thought about it. It wouldn't be allowed.

I open my mouth to speak but he cuts me off, "If you say anything about… rules.." He shakes his head, "Save it."

He leans over and kisses me gently.

"Riley, I can't." I say quietly. I must not run. I must not run. I need to run. I mustn't.

"Why not?"

"We barely know each other."

"I'll… tell you…whatever you want to know." He says. I look at him.

"No." I say simply. "No. I'm sorry. Maybe this whole thing has just been… a mistake."

"What?" He grabs my wrists to keep me in place. "Darcy.." He grimaces for a second and then focuses back on me. "Just calm down."

"I am calm." I whisper.

"You're panicking."

"I'm not." I am. I really am. "Okay. I am. But Riley. I'm just an initiate. I'm… not even an initiate. I'm pretty much just an inmate. That's worse."

"So we spend time… telling one another." He closes his eyes for a second. "Everything. How long… do you think that would take?"

"Everything?" I shrug, "I don't know, two years?"

"Fine. In two years. I'll marry you. It's settled."

"What?" I choke as I watch him get to his feet. "But, Riley." I follow him into the living room. "You know you really should stay in bed–"

"You're already nagging me." I can hear the smile in his voice. "I love it."

"Riley." I shake my head. He pulls the fridge open.

"I'm starving." He growls.

"I'll make you something. What do you want?"

"Fucking steak."

"I'll have to puree it." I giggle and he shoots me a glare.

He steps around the breakfast bar and comes toward me. "You think it's funny that I can't chew?"

I nod and try not to laugh as I bite back my smile. His hands grab my hips and he pulls me close.

"You think laughing at the elderly is funny?" He whispers and I just lose it. My knees feel weak from laughter. "I'm gonna walk around with a cane." He says as his fingers dig into my sides, I squirm in his iron grip. "You'll have to–have to wipe my ass for me." Oh god, I scream with laughter and almost fall over but he hangs onto me and continues to tickle. He lifts me up and throws me over his shoulder. Socks is rooing as he follows us into the bedroom and Riley throws me onto the bed.

He continues his assault and I'm gasping for air but then so is he. He pauses and touches his side. My laughter gets caught in my throat when he lifts his shirt and I see blood seeping through the bandage. "Oh my god." I turn and reach for my phone.

"No, Darcy, it's fine. It's nothing." He says but I'm already calling the infirmary.

The doctor is on his way and I have Riley sit on the bed. My hands are shaking and Riley just stares at the floor. When the doctor arrives I stay out of the way. He has to fix the stitches.

"How'd this happen?" he asks Riley.

"Just rough housing." He mumbles.

"You shouldn't be picking anything heavy up." The doctor says.

"I don't think that was it." Riley shakes his head and cringes when the needle pokes his skin again.

"Nothing strenuous then." The doctor frowns. Riley looks at me as I stand in the doorway. I feel horrible until he smiles mischievously. He doesn't care that he's hurt.

Riley walks the doctor to the door and thanks him. He shuts the door and turns back to look at me. He comes to me and grabs my hand, pulling me into the bedroom. We lie down on the bed and we're quiet for a moment until he pushes himself up on his elbows and looks at me.

"Hm?"

"I want you." He whispers.

"I'm right here."

He rolls onto me, "My body wants your body."

"Riley, we can't. Your stitches–"

"You're the best reason to pop my stitches." He whispers.

"I'm saying no." I smile softly, "I don't want you to get hurt…. more."

* * *

 **Riley**

Her head is on my chest and her fingers are playing with my chest hair. Her fingertips touch the piercing in my left nipple and I can feel her breath on my skin. I'm trying not to pout.

"Riley?"

"Hm?"

"Did it hurt to get these?" She whispers. We've been lying in bed for hours talking on and off.

"A little bit." I mumble. I fucking hate this wire keeping my jaw in place. "Are you thinking about getting a piercing?"

"Possibly." She sits up and straddles me and I stare at her. "Maybe I'll get mine pierced."

With that said my mind races off into a million directions bringing me images. Dirty.. images. She smiles and a giggle escapes between her lips when I push her hips down. "If you want to, then I say go for it." I whisper. My eyes wander to her chest and I can't help the thoughts. "Just fair warning, I won't be able to stop myself from touching them."

Suddenly my mind is off her anatomy and I feel compelled to tell her what I've dreaded telling her. "Darcy, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Remember when you asked me if I had kids?"

"Yeah."

"I do. I have five."

"Five." She says almost breathlessly. "W-with the same–"

"No." I shake my head, "Five kids. Five different women."

"That's…" She shakes her head and slides off to the side of me. "That's a lot."

"Yeah. I know." I sit up and touch her face. "They all know about each other. They all hate me."

"Why?"

I stare at her for a long moment. "Because I got them all pregnant around the same time."

She stares at me and says nothing.

"It happened after that break up I had with the almost fiance I told you about." I shrug, I shouldn't shrug.

"You…" Her mouth closes and opens again…but it closes…again. Shit. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because fucking… five kids." I roll my eyes, "You would've ran as far away from me as you could. I would."

"Okay. So.. what–what are their names?" She asks. "The babies."

"Uh.. Well.." I clear my throat. "There's Natasha she likes cats and then there's Ella… she is afraid of the dark, Grace loves the color …purple, Harley likes to kick–I learned that the hard way, and Alexis… she cries whenever I leave."

"So you visit them?" She asks.

"Every week." I say. "But since I'm recovering I haven't been to see them."

"Why don't you just… have them come here?" She asks, "I bet Socks would love the attention."

She's not freaking out like I thought she would. She actually smiles and it makes me feel a shit ton better.

"Okay. I'll talk to their mothers tomorrow. Set something up." I mumble. Talking about the furious five makes me a little weary.

* * *

 **Darcy**

Riley gets quiet and looks a little worried so I have an idea.

"Let's make Eric mad." I whisper and sit up on my knees. I grab the top of the headboard and start to bang it against the wall slow at first then a little faster. "Oh Riley!" I cry out. Riley laughs quietly next to me.

"Here let me do it." He whispers, "You make the sounds, baby." He takes the headboard and starts really slamming it against the wall.

"Oh my god!" I moan, "Riley! Harder!"

He slams the headboard even harder and I have to cover my mouth to keep my ugly laughter quiet. "Oh, yeah baby! You feel so good!"

There's banging on the wall. "Stop it! Fucking stop!" Eric yells.

"Call me daddy. He'll freak out." Riley says.

"Oh daddy! Fuck me harder!" I scream. Socks starts howling wanting to be a part of whatever the hell we're doing.

"Jesus christ you people are fucking sick!" Eric is practically screaming, "Stop it! Stop!"

Riley keeps the headboard going, I keep screaming and moaning and Socks keeps up the howling when suddenly the bedroom door flies open and we all look over at Eric. He's fucking pissed and we're dying from laughter.

"You two are assholes." Eric shakes his head, "It is fucking three in the morning!"

"Oh come on, Eric, we know you get off on listening to us." Riley says.

"As if." Eric snaps. "Fucking sickos. Go to bed." He walks out slamming the door and I let out a moan, the door opens and he points at me. "No more." I can only giggle at him glaring at us. Eric leaves us and Riley smiles at me.

"This is why you need to marry me." He whispers.

My smile falters, "Riley…" I shake my head. "I won't. Not now. Not in two years."

"Darcy, you are in love with me." He growls.

"So what?" I snap.

"I want to make you my wife." He says.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." I say. "I should get back to the dormitory. I shouldn't have stayed so long."

"Stay. That's an order."

"That's not fair." I fold my arms.

He wraps his arms around me and falls on top of me. "No more talk of marriage." He says quietly through his teeth. "Just stay with me and the pup tonight, love, please."

* * *

A few days later Riley and I are on the couch watching Some Like It Hot, I'm laughing but he's staring down at my feet in his lap as he rubs them. He's probably thinking about the thing I don't want to think about. I don't know why he wants to marry me. I'm not good enough for him. He has to know this, right? After initiation I'll just disappear into the faction with whatever job they give me. If I pass anyway. I'll hardly ever see him. I focus back on the movie and try to ignore my thoughts.

When I fall asleep I feel him lift me off the couch and carry me, "You're not supposed to lift heavy things." I mumble sleepily against his chest. I feel him chuckle quietly.

"You're no heavy thing." He whispers. He lays me on the bed and I fall back into my dream land.

* * *

 **Riley**

I get Darcy to stay with me instead of going back to the dorms every night for about a week and a half. Days go by and it's just her and I for the most part. Eric drops off my paperwork every day, briefs me while Darcy takes the pup for walks. Shannon came by this morning and removed some of my stitches and it's incredible the difference it makes in my movement.

Tonight Darcy went to the cafeteria to see Melanie so Socks and I are playing a video game. Okay, I'm playing a game and he's growling at me as he stares at the TV telling me I'm doing it wrong. Probably. I can go to the cafeteria but really there's no fucking point because I can't eat the food and I don't need everyone staring at me. I want my beard back completely before I have to venture back out.

I've been trying to get the furious five to settle on a day to bring all the girls over but they're all being… women. Womanly women. With their…estrogen and breasts. And moody ways. I sigh as I die in the game and Socks whines with annoyance.

"What, you think you can do it better?" I grumble and he pushes his cold nose against my hand. I swear this dog has gone through three growth spurts. Darcy feeds him good. "You need to chill in the living room tonight." I say quietly. He turns and looks at me. "Don't give me that look. Mom and dad need time alone without doggy eyes."

He 'roo's' at me as Darcy walks through the front door.

"What's he telling you?" He giggles.

"His favorite poem." I mumble as she leans over the back of the couch and kisses me.

"Oh, that's nice of him." She smiles. "Are you hungry?"

"I had the rest of that smoothie." I look up at her and feel breathless as she runs a hand through her hair.

"What?" She smiles self-consciously.

"You're beautiful."

"You're beautiful." She smiles and heads for the kitchen.

"Thank you." I say trying to sound as manly as I can.

"Hey, did you get them to decide on a day yet?" She asks. I sigh heavily.

"No. They're… being difficult." I can't believe I fucked five of the most stubborn women in Dauntless.

"We'll get it figured out." She says brightly as she hands me a beer.

* * *

As Darcy gets in the shower I move Socks' blankets to the couch. He hops up and curls into his blankets.

"Good boy." I whisper and pat him on the head.

I walk back into the bedroom and close the door quietly. She's still showering.

I sit with my back to the headboard and watch as she comes out of the bathroom with her towel wrapped around her body. She looks for Socks then looks at me with a knowing grin.

I nod for her to come over, "I got some stitches out this morning." I whisper.

She smiles and nods, "I know."

"I can do it tonight." I say as her fingertips touch the mattress.

"Don't you think you should wait until you get the rest out?" She bites her lip.

"If I wait any long I'll go mad, Darce."

She nods and I watch her start drying herself off. She's doing it slowly. Fuck. She drops her towel and walks over to the nightstand, takes a condom out and crawls onto the bed. She carefully straddles me and I pull her onto me watching her lip tremble as her eyes close. I squeeze her hips and hold her on me until she opens her eyes again. She sets the condom on my chest and her fingers comb through my hair as we gaze at one another.

"You're looking better." She smiles, "You've gotten a lot of your color back."

"I'm just really, really horny." I whisper and she giggles.

Her eyes look at me and I don't think there's an evil bone in this girl's body. Her fingertips touch the hair that's on my jaw. It's growing back slowly. There's nothing that could make me tell her how scared I was lying in that alley thinking I wasn't going to see her again as I couldn't breathe because of my own blood was choking me. Funny… the thing that keeps me alive almost drowned me.

She rolls her hips forward and kisses my mouth softly bringing me away from the alleyway in my head. I can't really kiss her back like I want to. And fuck I want to. I have wanted to fuck her against whatever surface since I got back. Sex fiend? Yes I am. When it comes to her. But right now I want to stare at her. She moves slow and careful, hypnotically. Maddeningly. Then she stops and takes the condom, opens it and slowly removes herself from me. She rolls the condom on and I grab her hips again, guiding her back on.

She inhales sharply when I lift my hips and scoot us down so I can lie back.

Her hands flatten on my chest and she starts rolling her hips again and I try not to thrust. I'm trying. It's hard not to. Fuck. She's watching my face carefully. When I get close she stops and that's when I groan. She's reading me. She knows what she's doing. Damn it. She starts moving again and I grab her hips, her hands grab mine and drag them up her body to her breasts. Jesusssss. I feel like I've been waiting years for this. When she stops again I thrust into her and she half giggles half moans. I do it again and I don't care that it hurts my remaining stitches because the pleasure from being inside her surpasses the pain.

I roll over on top of her and she locks her arms around my neck. I'm as close as I can get to her, I kiss her as best as I can. Her legs wrap around me and I push a little harder. Her lips part against my mouth and her breaths are quicker. My tongue pushes at the back of my teeth, I want to taste her, fill her mouth. Her head presses into the pillow and I watch her eyes roll back and close as she says my name. Her back arches and her body trembles under mine, I can feel her tighten and she lets out a sweet sound.

She kisses me and then brings her lips against my ear and feel her teeth close on my ear lobe as I keep pushing. Her hot breath on my ear, "Put me back on top."

I roll us over and put her where she wants to be. Maybe it's because I'm in love with her and she just astounds me, but I can't look away from her. Her pale hair sways, her thighs feel perfect under my hands. Her fingers comb through my chest hair and her eyes hold mine. I slide a hand up her leg and touch her, I want her to come again. Before I do. She bites her lip and for five more minutes I watch her move on top of me. I even thrust upward to help her along. When she moans my name again and I feel her climax, I can't hold back anything; not the animalistic growl and certainly not what my body wants to give hers. My hands clamp down on her thighs and I feel like my whole body is going to burst into flames. When it ends and…. it takes a minute, my whole body finally relaxes.

Darcy lays her head on my chest while I'm still inside her. I trace my fingertips over her back as I try to remember ever feeling this complete.

"I've thought about it." She says quietly after a while.

"Hm?"

"Yes." She says. Yes? Yes. Yes…

"Yes?" I tip her chin with my fingertip and she lifts her head to look at me.

"Yes." She nods.

"To me?" I ask, she smiles and nods again.

"Yes."

"Yes." Oh my god. Holy shit. I grab her face and kiss her. It fucking hurts but I don't give a shit. I need to kiss her. "When?"

"Uh," She laughs, "Well, I would think after initiation? That's as soon as it can be done right?"

"Unless we just… did it." I whisper.

She giggles and I roll over on to her. "Okay."

I can't believe what I'm hearing. I can't believe she's agreed. "I love you, Darce."

"I love you too."


	28. Chapter 28

**Happy Monday, Muffins! Today is Melanie's turn for some 'little' drama, the poor girl... Well, at least Eric doesn't have five kids hidden somewhere xD**

 **In case you were wondering: even I was shocked when my co-writer came up with those skeletons in Riley's closet!**

 **Enjoy, review, and see you all on Wednesday xoxox**

* * *

 **Melanie**

"Did you go visit him?" Ezra asks me while we're assembling our rifles.

"Who? Riley?" I glance at him and he nods. "Yeah, a couple of times, to feed him milkshakes and ice cream. He's alright, beardless and all. But he's as tough as a rusty nail. Need to come up with a new nickname for our man, though, with his jaw being held up by scaffolding. Metal mouth or something."

Ezra snickers. "Brace face."

"Magneto Man," I giggle. "Do you think a magnet would stick to his face?"

"Care to explain why you're talking in such a disrespectful manner about one of your leaders, initiate?" Eric suddenly asks coldly behind us.

Ezra practically jumps out of his skin, but I'm used to Eric's ninja abilities by now. It is rare for him to startle me these days.

"No, sir, I'm just being silly," I say while my fingers swiftly put the last pieces of my rifle together.

"Well, this is not the time or the place to be silly." He appears beside me and examines the rifle closely before disassembling it. "Again. And faster this time."

I suck in a deep breath and nod. "Yes, sir," I say quietly, and I force myself to concentrate on a task I can do in my sleep.

Now that Riley was back home with Darcy as his appointed caretaker, life has become normal again for the rest of us. Initiation continues with Eric supervising both groups and every day is the same as the days before and after it.  
Waking up at six, breakfast at six thirty, training from eight till noon, lunch from noon till one, training till six, dinner with my posse till seven, hanging out with Riley, Darcy and Socks till eight, entertaining Eric till curfew begins, lying in my bed at the dorm till I eventually fall asleep.  
All days are the same and I go through them on autopilot till today: the day of my appointment with the infirmary.  
Nothing has changed, but at the same time everything has due to one small detail: I'm late - as in my period hasn't started yet - as in I'm _fucked_!

To say that I'm panicking would be The Understatement of the entire history of mankind. I'm so terrified that I'm just completely numb. I walk, I eat, I train, I laugh, I fuck, but it's as if I'm out of my own body and looking down at this android that looks like me while it's interacting with everyone.  
Even Eric seems fooled by my usual cool, but I'm dying from the inside.  
I can't cancel or reschedule my appointment without him knowing about it within minutes. Eric seems to know everything that I do, and just this once I need him to stay out of my business.  
Fuck, I need to speak to Darcy; she's the only one I can trust with this. If she doesn't know what to do, I'll just ask her to blow me up or something; a firecracker up my butt should do the trick just fine.

I take a deep breath as I turn and look at my target at the other side of the rooftop. Though I prefer the lethal intimacy of knives, I like the sheer power of guns as well.  
Shooting requires concentration, meaning that for the next two hours I won't be able to worry about my condition. Maybe it's just stress due to everything that has happening lately.  
 _Or maybe you have a fucking bun in the oven, Mel!_ that annoying voice in the back of my mind yells for the millionth time

Lauren gives the signal and within a second I'm already lying in position and firing away. Round after round I hit the centre of my target as I ignore the thundering noise and recoil. By the time we break for lunch, my arms are throbbing and my fingers tingle. Eric calls me just when I'm about to leave with the others. He sends Lauren away with a nod, and I wait until he and I are the only ones left on the rooftop.  
As soon as the door closes behind Lauren, he pulls me to him and captures my mouth with his. I melt against him as I grab his neck with both hands.

"I won't be here this afternoon," he murmurs against my lips. "I have a faction leaders meeting at the Hub with Max."

Relief washes over me. "What time will you be back?"

"I hope around dinnertime. Just wait for me in my apartment, okay?"

And my nerves go back into overdrive. Around dinnertime is when I hoped to talk to Darcy. Shit triple fuck shit!  
Still I smile and coo against his lips when he pushes me against the wall of the entrance.

"I'm going to fuck you so hard tonight, Mel," he growls as he kneads my breasts. "I still don't understand why you wouldn't let me fuck you while you were having your period."

 _Because then you would've known the truth, you dumbass!_ I don't say that to him, of course. "Sorry, sailing the Red Sea doesn't appeal to me, sailor," I say instead.

He chuckles lightly. "Afraid of a bit of blood, Cupcake?"

"Hygiene, sexy. It just sounds so.. yuck."

He lifts me up and grinds his hardness against my crotch and lust blossoms inside me. "I'll show you tonight what's really dirty," he breathes as he snaps his hips forwards.

"Don't you get any freaky ideas in your head, mister," I giggle breathlessly as I roll my hips to meet his thrusts.

"I need you, Mel," he growls. "Give me something so that I don't lose my fucking mind while I'm at the Hub."

"Put me down then."

As soon as I'm back on both feet, I unbutton my pants and turn around. I could practically hear Eric cheer in his head as he yanks down my pants and positions himself. I hiss and grit my teeth when he enters me with a hard thrust. He cups my sex with one hand and gently rubs my clit when he begins moving in and out of me.  
God, I missed having him inside me.  
He takes his time and fucks me slowly, and for the first time this week I'm finally able to relax considerably.

But unfortunately it doesn't last long enough. Less than fifteen minutes later we walk hand in hand down the stairs with flushed cheeks while trying to catch our breath.

Just before he opens the door to the tunnel, Eric looks at me and frowns. "You okay?"

I look at him while putting on my bravest face. "Yeah, why?"

He doesn't answer me straight away, but studies me for a long moment. My heart is about to hammer its way out of my chest, but I hold his scrutinising gaze calmly.

"There's something different about you," he murmurs in a low voice.

I freeze and stare at him with wide eyes. Please, god, no! "I think I lost some weight."

He shakes his head then shrugs. "No… Well, yeah, it seems like you've indeed lost some weight, especially in your face, but that's not it. It's something else. I can see it in your eyes. You're nervous for your appointment?"

I can't look at him any longer or else I will scream in his face. I cast down my eyes and swallow thickly. "I'm not nervous," I say slowly. "It's just… I don't know…"

Eric places a finger under my chin and makes me look back at him. "It's only till the end of initiation, Mel."

I shake my head. "Nothing is going to change after initiation, Eric - we both know that. Because nothing is going to change the odds then, or next year, or ten years from now. Now is as good a time as any, so what changed?"

He clenches his jaw and I can hear him gritting his teeth. "Have you even thought about what will happen with our kid when I die? Because knowing you as I do, you _will_ jump. And then what?"

I jerk my head away from his vice-like grip and sniffle when the first tears roll down my burning cheeks. "I won't jump," I whisper through a tight throat. "I won't leave our kid behind like that. But it doesn't matter since you've clearly changed your mind." I dry my tears with my sleeve and step back when he reaches out his hand to me.

"Mel, that isn't fair," he sighs. "I have not changed my mind about us!"

Suddenly I snap. Whether it's because I've reached the end of my rope or just because I'm fed up with his Erudite mind – again.

"You know what isn't fair?" I yell at him while stabbing him in the chest with my finger. "Telling me what to do while you fail to do your part! Why don't you go to the infirmary and get a foreign object inserted in your dick! You… You… _Man_ , you!"

His eyebrows almost disappear in his hair as he stares with a dumbfounded expression at me for a long moment. But then he smirks and shrugs. "Okay, maybe I will," he says in a certain way, as if he finds the entire situation hilarious. "Since you're obvious too scared to do it."

Motherfucker!  
I throw myself at him with some crazed war cry that echoes through the staircase, and I slap and punch and kick him wherever I can while I scream at the top of my lungs. And Eric just laughs and laughs until he has enough of it, and throws me over his shoulder like I'm a sack of potatoes. Not that that stops me. I continue attacking his back and his delicious ass… God, his ass is perfect! Round and firm and…

"Stop groping my ass, initiate," he chuckles as he walks to god-knows-where.

I raise my head a bit and see that we've just entered the Pit.

"Being in public won't help you now, asshole," I snap as I punch his back again.

"I'm aware of that," he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice. "That's why I'm taking you to the one person you truly fear."

"Nooo, not my mother!" I yell.

He stops and I hang limp. "Are you done, then?"

"For now," I huff.

He grunts when he starts walking again. "We'll continue our talk tonight, okay, crazy woman?"

"I hate you."

"Hate you too, Cupcake," he says sweetly. Adorable bastard…

The moment he steps into the cafeteria, all noise dies down as it usually does whenever he walks in. His strong hands grip my hips and he pulls me slowly off his shoulder and down his body until I'm standing on my own feet.

"Thanks for the ride, sir," I say through clenched teeth while I adjust my clothes.

"Next time I won't be so lenient, initiate," he says coldly, but with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Yes, sir," I sigh as I let myself fall on the bench between Marlene and Gabe. The entire table, and everybody in the cafeteria, stare at me as Eric saunters away.

"What happened?" Uriah laughs the moment Eric is out of the door.

"Me and my temper," I just say just as my phone beeps. I pull it out of my pocket and see that it is a message from Eric.

 _Go to your appointment and have yourself checked. You don't have to do the rest. I will take my own precaution measures._

I let out a ragged breath when relief washes over me. I quickly text him back. _Thank you – love you!_

Five seconds later my laugh echoes through the cafeteria when I read his answer. _Don't thank me yet. You'll still get spanked tonight for assaulting a respected leader._

* * *

For a long time I sit on the toilet and just stare at the blood spots on the panty liner. I feel strangely calm. The numbness has left me as soon as I saw the blood and instead this odd calmness has taken over. There isn't much blood, but at least it is there: undeniable proof that I'm finally having my period. It started while I was in the infirmary, and I know I should be feeling something, like relief or sadness, but I feel strangely empty.

"Melanie, what are you doing in there?" Eric asks me from the other side of the closed door.

"Eric, for the love of God! Can I have at least one moment of peace?" I snap.

"Not on my toilet you can," he drawls. "Use the ones in the dorm."

"Shut up, or I won't flush!"

"Jesus Christ, Mel…"

"What? Too freaky, even for you?" I laugh as I flush, and pull up my panties.

He doesn't answer me - of course he wouldn't. When I return to the bedroom he's lying in bed underneath the comforter. He raises the comforter at his side and I all but fly towards him. I crawl against him and put my cold feet between his warm thighs.

"Bloody hell, Mel! It's May and your feet are still like two fucking ice cubes. And watch where you put your bony knees, for fuck sake!"

"Warm my feet then," I giggle. "And my knees aren't bony, they are perfect."

We move about until we find the perfect position facing each other with him between my legs, my legs around his waist while he's got me captured in his arms.

"What did they say in the infirmary?" he asks me as he combs my hair with his fingers.

"I couldn't take a pregnancy test because I'm bleeding again, but—"

"Again?" he interrupts me, frowning deeply.

I smooth out his forehead. "Stop doing that, or you'll start looking like Riley."

He winces. "For your sanity, I'll pretend I didn't hear that. You're bleeding again?"

"Yeah, Nick told me that it is normal because the training is quite taxing and even stressful so my body is having some trouble producing the regularity of hormones it needs to complete a cycle. My weight is on the lower end of healthy as well so I have to watch my diet and be mindful of stress."

Eric flashes me a proud smile. "Look at you, sounding all Erudite and smart."

I slap his chest as I begin to giggle. "You want the Dauntless explanation?"

"Sure, give it your best shot."

"Feed and fuck me more,' I laugh.

He burst into laughter. "Yeah, that is one hundred per cent Dauntless. But don't you worry. I'll take good care of you, baby." He captures my mouth with his and I gasp softly when all of a sudden my toes curl again, for the first time in weeks. "What's wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing, baby," I smile, feeling utterly, disgustingly happy. "Everything is just fine."

* * *

Oh yeah, everything was fine… till the next day when the bleeding just fucking stopped. It stopped! _POOF_! _Gone_!

I waited a few more days but it never started again. I've checked and rechecked the calendar on my phone, and almost lost my mind when I discovered that my last real period was two weeks before Eric ran off with my cherry-flavoured V-card – meaning that I'm not two weeks late now, but four if I don't count that one day of spotting.

Four whole weeks! I hate the number Four! I don't know what to do or what to think. I can't even think straight. I'm losing my goddamn mind!The doors to the dorm are being pushed open and in walks Darcy.

"Mel, you okay?" she asks me.

I swallow hard, then clear my throat. "Uh... Not really."

"What is it?" she asks worriedly as she sits down next to me.

"I need you to do me a favour," I whisper even though we're alone.

"Yeah, anything," she says.

"I need you to go to the infirmary and talk to Piper," I tell her, "only Piper. Ask her for a pregnancy test."

"What?" she gasps, horrified. Yes, you and me both, honey…

"Darce, please, I can't do it," I whisper tensely. "Eric has eyes all over the place. If I come out of the infirmary he'll be asking me if I'm okay within twenty minutes or less."

"Okay. I... Are-are you sure?"

"I'm late... like really late," I whisper.

"Okay," she nods.

"I need you to get it now, Piper only works until noon. I need you to bring it to me after dinner tonight."

"Okay. I can do that," she says as she stands up. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah," I say as calmly as possible even though I want to scream until I pass out.

"Don't worry, okay?" she bumps her knee with mine and smiles when I look up at her. "It'll be okay."

Yeah, sure… and Satan will be ice-skating to work. I wonder if Four can indeed ice-skate...

"Wait, didn't you say you had something to tell me?" I ask her, remembering her text message.

"It can wait." she smiles weakly.

I frown. "Are you sure? If something is wrong, you better tell me, girlfriend. You know I'll try to help you with the last brain cell I have left."

She laughs quietly, then shakes her head. "Nothing is wrong, Mel, honestly. I better go now. I'll see you later, okay?"

As soon as the doors close behind her, I let myself fall on my bed and just start to cry. _Fuck_!


	29. Chapter 29

**Wednesday, Poor Darcy Day... Oh dear... Enjoy, review and till Friday, Muffins xoxox**

* * *

 **Darcy**

I walk to the infirmary and ask for Piper. I ask her about pregnancy tests and she gives me a momentary look of mild judgement. I feel a little weird because I would tell her that it's not for me but then that would probably make more questions rise and then . She leads me into the back and I listen to a long spiel about different kinds. I opt for the digital one because it is the most accurate. …I get three of them. I get three because I don't fucking trust these things.

I pull out Riley's card and she charges it. I haven't gotten my own and he practically forced his card into my pocket a week ago putting me in charge of groceries and everything. When she sees his face come up on the screen she looks at me and I smile politely. Shit. I didn't think about this. I should've asked for Mel's card.

I leave the infirmary with the tests in a white paper bag. I roll it up and tuck it into my jacket. When I get back to the apartment Riley is sitting at the breakfast bar eating yogurt while reading something on his tablet. Hopefully not an email from Piper. I laugh nervously to myself as I pass him.

"How's Melanie?" He asks.

"She's good." I say as I walk into the bedroom, I take my jacket off and toss it on the bed.

"Hey, will you take a file to the office for me?" Riley asks from the doorway.

"Yeah, where is it?" I ask as I walk towards him.

"It's on the coffee table." He wraps his arms around me and kisses me. "And ask Eric for last year's census."

"You know," I tug on his belt loop and smile up at him, "You're perfectly capable of doing this yourself."

"Baby…" He shakes his head and touches his hands to his beard, "It's not ready. It needs time."

"You're turning into a hermit." I stand on my toes to kiss him again. "I'll be back." I say as I step around him and grab the file off the coffee table.

When I get to the office I knock on the door and wait. Eric opens it and looks down at me, I hold up the file and he opens the door wider for me to enter. Max is sitting at his desk with headphones on as he reads over something.

"When is he going to leave that apartment?" Eric mumbles as he flips through the file.

"He says his beard isn't ready?" I giggle. "Oh, he wants last year's census."

"Okay, let me find it." He walks over to a filing cabinet and thumbs through until he finds what he's looking for. A black folder. He hands it to me.

I take the folder and walk out of the office heading down the hallway.

"Whatcha got there?" The folder is plucked from my hand suddenly and I look up at Four as he walks beside me. My heart slams against the walls of my chest.

"Riley needs it." I say reaching to take it back but he pulls it away from me.

"Why haven't you been to see me?"

"Because I've been taking care of Riley." I say. His eyes look me up and down and I narrow my gaze. Fucking dirt-bag.

"I bet you have." He says suggestively. I swallow dryly and grab the folder from him.

"I don't have to do what you say, Four." I whisper. "Eric isn't going to care what footage you have." He steps in front of me and I nearly bump into him, his eyes are on me like a wolf. I try my best to stand my ground as I look up at him.

"You need to be careful." He whispers. His voice is so quiet it's almost inaudible and it sends a chill through my skin. "You don't want to cross lines."

"Lines.." I roll my eyes, "Shut up, Four." I'm so sick of him and it's only been a couple minutes. "I need to get this back to Riley. He's expecting me." I step around Four and hurry down the hallway just as my phone starts ringing.

"Hello?"

"Darcy, Eric is gone for a couple hours." Melanie whispers, "I need you to bring the tests to his apartment."

"Uh–uhm okay." I stutter because I've never been alone in Eric's apartment and the idea of it kind of terrifies me.

I let myself into Riley's apartment and see him sitting on the couch reading something. "Hey, I've got to go meet Melanie," I say as I set the folder in front of him on the coffee table. He raises his face to me and I kiss him gently. "I'll be back soon."

"The girls are coming tonight. Jasmine just called me and they've all agreed to let me take the girls for the night and tomorrow since I almost died." He teeters his head side to side, "She didn't say those words exactly, but that's basically it."

"Jasmine is…what number…three?" I ask. And he didn't almost die. He did die.

"Yeah." He nods as he looks down at the papers in front of him. Jasmine. I like that name. I wonder if her face matches her name.

"Alright. I shouldn't be gone too long. I'll make some snacks if you want–"

He hums and nods, he's working. I walk into the bedroom and grab my jacket off the bed. If Mel wants to take the pregnancy test at Eric's I hope he is far away.

* * *

I sit on the counter as Melanie pees on the sticks and caps all three. I look down at them as she sets them on the counter and flushes the toilet.

"How long?" She asks, I pick up the paper and read it.

"Three minutes." I mumble. There's no way she's pregnant, right?

She starts pacing after twenty seconds and then glancing at the time on her phone. When the three minutes is up she's facing the wall and shaking her head. "Darcy, I can't.. . You look and tell me."

What? Why do I have to be the bearer of this news? I grab the three sticks and hop off the counter. I look at each one carefully and my stomach hurts. Melanie looks over her shoulder at me. I clear my throat and nod. She steps over to me and grabs them out of my hands. Her hand covers her mouth. She just kind of falls apart in front of me. The sticks fall from her hand, I try to catch them but then I have to catch her as she crumbles to the floor.

"Come on," I gather the stuff and shove it back into the pharmacy bag and put it in my jacket, if Eric finds this I don't know what he'll do. I'll throw it away in a dumpster outside. "Let's get you some fresh air."

I pull Melanie into the hallway and to the stairwell. Fresh air. Yes. That'll help. "Darcy…" She's shaking her head and small sobs are escaping her trembling lips. It reminds me of a child that has scraped her knee.

"Not yet, Mel. We're almost there." I pull her up two more flights of stairs before we break through the door onto the roof. "Deep breaths, Mel." I hold her up and she's shaking so horribly I have to lower her to the ground against the brick wall. "It's going to be okay." I tuck her hair behind her ear and wipe at her tears. "Mel, breathe."

She only shakes her head and cries harder. I have a feeling I shouldn't even say Eric's name right now.

"What… what do we do?" I ask.

"We?" She snaps.

"Yes, we." I snap back. "I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

"I don't know." She shakes her head. "I can't tell Eric and you can't tell Riley. Riley will tell my parents and they'll tell Gunner and Gunner will kill Eric who will kill me."

"That is quite the conga line you got there." I mumble. "Okay, I won't–I won't tell Riley–"

"No matter what, Darcy, you cannot say a word." She says and I nod. "I'll get in so much trouble. They'll make me stop initiation. They–they'll–" She breaks into more painful sobs.

Speaking of babies. Riley's kids are supposed to be coming soon. I need to get back. I pull Mel to me and hug her tight. "It's going to be alright. Just relax for a day and we can discuss this when you're ready." I hate to leave her like this, "I've got to get back to Riley."

"Please don't go yet." She clings to me and I almost fall on top of her. I stay with her.

* * *

"They'll be here soon." Riley has gone over the apartment three times. Cleaning. He's already a tidy guy but he just put my glass in the sink before I could even use it.

"Riley, relax." I say as I pluck my glass out of the sink.

I look over at him standing in front of the fridge. He glances at me and I can tell he's nervous because of me. I'm the main aspect of his anxiety right now. So I need to remain positive and collected no matter how this situation pans out. There's a knock at the door and he almost falls over at the sound. He hurries over, his eyes staying on me right up until he opens the door and five little girls rush in giggling, jumping around him and pulling on his arms and shirt.

Their mothers file in slowly and I almost shrink back into the bedroom but then Socks trots in to see what the commotion is about. And all squeaky, shrill hell breaks loose.

"Puppy!" One screams and they all scream and run for Socks.

"Who is she?" One mother says and they all look at me.

"Is she the babysitter?" Another asks. "You are going to be staying with the girls aren't you, Riley?"

"Riley, you said you were going to be with them." Another one says.

Riley walks over to me and wraps an arm around my waist, "This is Darcy. My…girlfriend. Darcy, that's Paige, Mira, Naomi, Jasmine, and Hattie." He points at each one. I smile at them, but none smile except Paige. She steps forward and extends her hand.

"It's nice to meet you." She says softly. She's beautiful and even looks like she's nice. Her big doe eyes are warm. The other women scoff and roll their eyes as I shake Paige's hand.

"It's nice to meet you too." I say.

"Right. Is she going to be here all night?" Jasmine asks. She has deep blue eyes and black hair and I'm so intimidated by her I can feel my skeleton hurting because of her beauty. They're all beautiful. And older.

The front door opens again and Eric walks in quickly then shuts the door and locks it. He looks around like he's just smelled something fowl. It's called children, Eric. All the women look at Eric and get tense. For once I'm relieved to see him.

"Ladies." Eric mumbles as he walks into the kitchen. I wonder if he's talked to Melanie at all. Oh no... What if that's why he's here?

"Darcy, I think Socks is enjoying his attention." Riley mutters and I glance over at the girls sticking ribbons in his fur. "Why don't you go over with them and I'll try to get… them to leave." He looks at the mothers that are glaring at us. Or me. I'm not sure.

"Okay." I step away from him and slowly approach the small crowd. The tiny crowd.

"Hi," The little girl with curly blonde hair looks at me and she has Riley's eyes. They all turn and look at me and ….they all have his eyes and lips. Oh my god.

"Hello." I smile.

"What's your name?" The adorable redhead asks.

"Darcy. What are your names?" I ask.

Harley has pitch black hair and kind eyes, Alexis is the curly, soft blonde with the pink ribbon in her hair and she keeps looking over at Riley. Grace has the strawberry blonde hair cut straight at her shoulders and she is pensive. Ella has brown hair like Riley, in fact she looks the most like him and even has a scowl that could rival her father's. Natasha is the redhead and she clings to Socks like he's the only fluffy thing in the world. They're all so different yet when I look at each of them I can see him clearly. It's obvious that he's the father.

When the 'furious five' as Riley secretly calls them, leave, he comes and joins us. He sits on the couch and Alexis is the first to climb into his lap. They all go to him.

"Where's the bird?" Ella asks and Riley smiles at her.

"It had to go bye bye for a little bit." he says. Bird? I watch Ella reach up and touch his jaw. Beard! Oh.

"Can we watch a princess movie?" Grace asks.

"I don't want to watch a princess movie." Harley snaps, "I want to watch the scary show."

They all have something to say except Alexis, she just sits quietly on his lap hugging his forearm to her little body. She looks worried about something as she bites her lip. She is looking between her sisters and worry is in her expression easily. She doesn't like their bickering.

"No movies." Riley says, "We're gonna color, then have snacks and some games and then… paint our nails."

I honestly have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing because he has this serious look on his face. He means it. Eric walks over with coloring books and boxes of crayons. Aw, Uncle Eric. Riley gets all the girls set up to color around the coffee table and then he walks into the kitchen to get some snacks ready. My eyes go to Alexis. She isn't coloring. She's watching Riley. There is sheer terror in her eyes and she's holding it in tightly. Professionally. I walk over and sit down next to her.

"You okay?" I whisper. She looks at me with big Riley eyes and nods then looks back to her father. I look at him too and watch his shoulders. "Do you want to color?" I ask softly and she shakes her head. "Would you like to go watch daddy?" She nods and I offer her my hand. I lead her over into the kitchen and lift her up onto the counter next to him preparing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Hey, Alleycat, you okay?" Riley mumbles without looking over.

"Yeah." Her voice is small like she is.

Riley cuts the sandwiches up into squares and sets them all on a plate. He grabs Alexis in one arm and then takes the plate to the other girls. Eric and I are standing in the kitchen watching.

"They're so cute." I mumble. Eric visibly shudders in my peripheral vision and I look at the disgusted expression on his face. The tightness of his lips. "What?"

"It's cute. It's nauseating." He blinks slowly and his eyes watch Harley approach us coldly. "Harley." He deadpans.

"Eric." She folds her arms and glares up at him. I think he might be outmatched.

"You still my girl?" He mumbles.

"Yep." She smiles suddenly.

"Better be. You're gonna run this place some day." He says.

"I know." She walks around us and goes to the fridge, pulling it open and grabbing the carton of juice out to take it to Riley. I look over at Eric and his eyes slide to me.

"What?"

"Nothing." I shrug. I didn't know he was… okay with kids?

* * *

Throughout the night I watch Alexis carefully. She follows Riley wherever he goes. He doesn't mind, he always has a free hand for her to hold.

Riley disappears into the bedroom and then drags out the trunk that is usually at the end of the bed. The girls all start giggling and run over to him excitedly. What's in the trunk?

He unlocks and opens it. "Alright, pick your threads, ladies." He says. All the girls start pulling out dresses. Little princess dresses. I walk over and look into the trunk. It's full of glittery materials, tiaras and plastic tea cups. Plastic jewelry. Stuffed animals. That is not what I thought was in there.

Riley lets them accessorize him. He's wearing a tiara with it's jewel missing from the middle. Eric has left, probably to avoid being lipsticked. Something tells me he's been the victim of a secret clip-on earring assault. I'm sitting at the breakfast bar watching Riley and his girls. It's not at all what I would've pictured him doing when I think of the first time I saw him.

"Princess daddy," Ella giggles and hands him a tea cup. They're sitting in a circle on the floor. Socks has a tiara and is sitting particularly still for Natasha as she sticks bows in his fur.

"Thank you, princess Ella." Riley says in his gruff voice as he helps her pour juice into his tiny plastic tea cup.

"Daddy, Harley took my bracelet." Grace cries.

"Harley, come on dude, there's plenty of other bracelets you can have." Riley says as he reaches into the trunk and pulls a handful of fake jewelry out. "Natasha, don't give Socks your pb&j. He has a peanut butter addiction. Socks, we talked about this." He says seriously and all the girls giggle. Hell, I'm giggling. "Grace, darling, you have jelly on your nose."

I look at Alexis sitting in his lap nibbling on a sandwich watching her sisters. They have their tea party. They color. They all tell Riley about what they've been up to. He's interested in hearing what each one has to say. Grace is the first to fall asleep.

Riley pulls out the hideaway in the couch and they, of course, all fit on it. He puts on a princess movie for them and they snuggle under the blanket and soon fall asleep. But Alexis is still awake. She doesn't want to go to sleep she wants to stay with her dad. She's sitting up on the breakfast bar and Riley is painting her toenails as they whisper back and forth to each other. I bend over the girls on the hideaway bed and pull Socks out. I need to take him outside so he can do his business.

"I'll be back in a little bit." I say quietly as I latch the leash to Socks' collar.

"Okay, babe." Riley looks at me and then goes back to talking with Alexis.

When Socks and I get outside, it's dark and the sky is clear. I look up at the stars and can't help but wonder where my dad is. That's when it hits me. Alexis is just like me. I used to follow my father around like a stray cat. It was him and me. Me and him. Peanut butter and jelly. Socks is slumped over on my foot snoozing when I look down at him. Poor pup can't even take a piss. Those girls wore him out.

I stand there a little longer thinking about the girls and Riley. I almost giggle but it doesn't carry out. Riley loves his girls. He was a little stiff at first but it didn't last long.

I turn to the sound of voices and see Peter walking with a few of his new friends. He waves and separates from them to come over to me. We watch the group disappear around a corner talking animatedly.

"Haven't seen you in like… years." Peter runs his hand through my hair and pulls me into a hug. Socks stirs and tries to sit up but slumps back onto the ground and starts snoring again. "This doesn't look like a successful piss break for the pooch."

"Yeah, he had a busy afternoon." I smile thinking about the girls running around the apartment with Socks.

"Father Time keeping you busy, hm?" He asks and I laugh because I'm tired and it's hilarious because Riley is a father. He's a father of five little girls that are the cutest things I've ever seen.

"Uh, yeah." I nod.

"We need to hang out. I miss you." Peter says and I look up at him. I've missed him too.

"Yeah, let's hang out soon."

"Tomorrow." He says.

"Okay." I laugh lightly.

"I'm gonna get back." He smiles and I nod, we hug again and he jogs off. I scoop my sleeping, bow clad puppy into my arms and start back.

* * *

I come in to the apartment quietly and take Socks to the bedroom where Riley is on the bed with Alexis asleep next to him. He's holding a book and looking through it.

"The Princess and the Pea." I mumble as I lay Socks on the end of the bed. "Heavy read." He looks up at me and smiles.

"It's her favorite." He glances down at her and slowly sits up taking her into his arms.

"She sure loves you." I smile.

"Yeah.." He clears his throat softly and I tilt my head to make him look back at me.

"What's up?"

"Paige. Alexis' mom is sick." Riley whispers. "And Alexis knows it. She's scared. She spent a lot of time with me last year. Everyone thought I was just babysitting for a single mom who was in the infirmary. Nobody knows all these girls are mine. Except Eric." He shrugs.

"Why don't you want anyone to know?" I ask and he looks at me as he stands. I follow him into the living room.

"Darce, I'd gladly tell everyone. Every single person in every faction about my girls. But their mother's don't want anyone to know. Because of the stupid reputation I have." He looks so sad for a second, "They'd keep my girls from me." He looks at the other girls asleep in front of us. Carefully, he lays Alexis next to Natasha.

"They can't do that. Can they?" I whisper. He nods.

I look down at them. They all adore him, I can't imagine him not being allowed to see his girls.

"I'm trying to be the dad I didn't have." He whispers and brushes Alexis' hair out of her face. I look at him and can see everything he's worried about. "I know they might choose to leave some day."

"But you'll always be their dad." I whisper.

"I won't let them forget that." He smiles as he pulls the blanket up over Alexis. He turns to me and I know that he isn't like his father. He's like mine. "Besides, I think I can already see what they're going to choose." He wraps his arm around my waist and we walk to the bedroom.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Harley will stay. She's a spitfire." He shakes his head and chuckles, I can see he's proud of them as he talks, "Grace will go to Erudite. I can just tell. Ella will probably stay. She looks like me and acts like me, but she's painfully honest so.. she might go. Natasha.." He sighs, "She'll go to Amity. I can feel it."

"And Alexis?" I see the pain in his face, he would never say it but I know she has a special place with him.

"I don't know. I don't know about Alexis. I think… she would want to leave but she'll be too scared. So I'll have to instill some kind of solidity in her." He shakes his head, "I just don't know how to."

I pull my lighter out of my pocket and hand it to him, "Give her something to hold onto." I whisper. "I think they'll look up to you for guidance." I say softly, his eyes focus on me suddenly and I see something I cant identify flash across his face.

"Yeah. You're right." He says quietly.

* * *

 **Riley**

It's been two days since my girls left. I miss them. Darcy is still sleeping, we were up late making Eric mad. I'm smiling to myself as I gather laundry around the room. I grab Darcy's jacket and something falls out. A white paper bag. Something from the pharmacy? I open the bag and see an open box with some other stuff. Not sure what it is so I dump it on the bed. If my jaw could drop it would. Then tension of the wire hurts my mouth as I look down at the pregnancy tests.

I pick one of them up and look at it. It clearly states 'Pregnant'. My eyes flit to Darcy still asleep, her blonde hair strewn in every direction. I pick up the other two tests and they say the same thing. I think I might be having a heart attack. My chest hurts. I'm waiting to drop dead but it doesn't happen. Damn it. I deserve to. But I'm only holding my breath.

"Darcy." I say softly. "Darcy…" I gently touch her foot under the covers and she stirs.

"Hm, yeah, baby?"

"Darcy, uhm.. I found this." I'm not sure what I should say, but that's the only thing that came to mind.

She sits up slowly, holding the sheet around her and she looks gorgeous. Her eyes land on the tests I'm holding.

"Oh.." She runs a hand through her hair and I'm strangely aroused even though I'm filled with absolute terror. "Uh…those.."

"You're …pregnant." The word is so hard to say. I feel like I'm going to choke on my tongue. "I don't understand. We've been careful. Didn't you go and get that shot that day?"

"Yes, I did." She nods.

"Did it not work? They are like… always effective." I shake my head and look down at the sticks in my hand.

"I… Uhm." She shrugs. "I'm sorry."

"Oh my god." I need to sit down.

"Riley–" She starts but I hold my hand up to stop her. I can't comprehend my own thoughts I can't even start to hear hers right now.

"If you didn't get that shot, you can tell me. Were you scared to get it?" I ask, "D-did–was there someth–" I can't talk. I stand up and walk out of the room. I leave the apartment.


	30. Chapter 30

**This chapter was written for me by my co-writer because I was suffering from a sudden and massive writer's block due to illness at the time, but I've added and edited a bit afterwards. Also, I hope you all do realise that there only FIVE chapters left to the story... five... So read slowly! S-L-O-W-L-Y!**

 **For all the guests taking their time to comment: THANK YOU! WE LOVE YOU ALL! A big bear hug to all our followers and the people who has bookmarked this mad tale as favorite. You are all so amazing and god darn it, I don't wanna leave you! I'm going to cry in a corner now... Behave yourselves, enjoy the weekend and see you on Monday, my Dauntless Muffins...**

* * *

 **Melanie**

It's been a couple days and I'm exhausted. My hands still haven't stopped shaking and I've been avoiding Eric like the plague. Thank God his work is keeping him extremely busy and he doesn't get the chance to supervise training. But his voicemails only get angrier and angrier with each passing hour. I'm walking past the transfer dorm when I see Darcy come out of it. She looks like how I feel.

"Darcy," I say and she turns to me.

"Oh, hey Mel," she mumbles tiredly.

"Where are you going?"

"Training?" She seems annoyed.

"Why? You're supposed to be up with Riley. You know, cooking for him." I smile at her. "Giving him sponge baths."

"He can bathe himself." She almost laughs as she shakes her head, but her small smile falls quickly and I grab her arm. She looks at me and I can tell there's something majorly wrong.

"What's up, girl?"

"Riley, uh, found the pregnancy tests in my jacket. I forgot to throw them away."

"Shit!" I gasp as my heart stopped for a moment or forty.

"Don't worry about it, Mel," she mumbles. "He… uh… made his thoughts very clear on the matter."

"What happened?" I drag her into a darkened tunnel.

"He made me go to the dorms last night. He said that…uh… he couldn't marry me—"

"Marry you?!" I shriek. " _What_?!"

"Oh yeah… He wanted to marry me. I was going to tell you the other day, but then it just didn't seem like the right time. I'm sorry, Mel."

"Why-Wh-why-What?" I shake my head. " _What_?!" I really should stop shouting, but I just can't believe what I'm hearing. Riley asked Darcy to marry him and then he broke up with her? Has the world gone mad!?

"He thinks I'm pregnant," Darcy continues, and all I can do is stare at her, "and he made me leave last night because his words were 'it wouldn't be fair to the others' and I-well, I guess I just walked out. I don't have the energy for ridiculousness and frankly—"

"Others? What others?" I ask, bewildered.

"Nothing, Melanie, just forget about it."

Jesus fuck, what a mess! I need to tell Eric the truth so that Riley and Darcy can get back together and—

"Shit." I sigh heavily and turn in a circle.

"Look, Riley and I got into a fight last night and I think that is that," Darcy says. I don't like the tone of her voice because there is no tone. It's numb. This is all my fault. God! Fucking unbelievable!

"I'm going to go tell him. I'm going to tell Riley, right now," I snap as I walk away.

"There's no point, Mel." Darcy says. "He and I are past that, I think."

"We'll see about that," I snap louder. I'm going to ring his fucking neck!

* * *

I slam my fist on Riley's door, over and over until it opens, and I enter without invitation. "What's your fuckin' deal, man?" I snap viciously. He raises his eyebrows at me and I look at the little girl he's holding. "Sorry. Uh… are you babysitting?" I ask.

"No. This..." Riley sighs and looks at the little girl hiding her face in his neck. "This is Alexis. She's my daughter."

"Daughter?" My breath hitches in my throat, and I have to sit down when the world slightly tilts to the left. I climb up onto a bar stool and stare at him with my mouth wide open.

"Melanie, I have five daughters," he tells me. "Alexis," he says her name and she looks up at him. "This is my friend, Melanie."

"Where's Darcy?" She is tiny. Everything about her is tiny. and she fucking looks like Riley. I think I might be in shock.

"You have five children?" I ask with numb lips. The world _has_ gone mad, and I've gone deaf and stupid.

"Yes. They're all, uh, five years old," he says, and my jaw drops. I shake my head to clear my apparent shock.

"Riley, I need to talk to you about Darcy."

He looks at Alexis as he sets her down. "Alleycat, go play with your toys, okay?" he whispers.

This is so weird. This Riley is very new to me. He stands back up and looks at me with his Dauntless leader gaze – cold and detached. "Look, last night she finally confessed that she didn't get that shot at the infirmary. She said that she wanted to get pregnant - she was trying to fucking trap me, Mel!" he snaps, and I'm taken back by his outburst.

"She was lying, Riley. She was lying for me," I sigh.

He stares at me for a long moment. "You?" I nod. "You're pregnant?" His eyes widen and I'm suddenly terrified. He turns suddenly and grabs his jacket. "Watch Alexis, I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"To get this straightened out," he barks as he disappears through the front door. I look over at Alexis. She is staring at me as she holds a stuffed bunny. Yeah, you and me both, kid...

* * *

About fifteen minutes later I hear shouting in the hallway and the door opens and in stumbles Eric. He stands up clearly pissed and straightens his vest. His eyes meet mine and Ifreeze when I realise that I can't run because he and Riley are blocking the doorway.

"Tell him now," Riley snaps.

"Riley." I shake my head while my heart is trying to claw its way through my throat. "I can't."

"What? You can't what?" Eric asks coldly, looking between us with narrowed eyes.

"Tell him or I will," Riley growls.

"Ugh, Riley!" I whine, but he raises his eyebrows. "Fine." I look at Eric and brace myself for Hurricane Eric. "I'm… I… uhm… I'm pregnant."

He rolls his eyes. "Is that it? Is that why I was just dragged here like a fucking child?" he snaps at Riley. "People saw that, you know," he grumbles. "They were laughing."

Before I can react to his highly unexpected reaction, I hear a "Knock, knock" at the door. All three of us look to see a woman standing there with a little girl. Their black hair is darker than anything I've ever seen, but the little girl's eyes are a dead giveaway - not to mention her Riley lips.

"Hey, Jasmine," Riley mumbles. His shoulders have gone stiff and I think I just met another baby-momma. The little girl runs towards him and hugs his leg.

"Hi, daddy," she smiles up at him.

"Harley." He touches her hair and she pulls away from him to go play with Alexis. Damn! Riley makes pretty babies! I steal a glance at Eric and find that he is looking bored. Did he know about Riley and his girls? What else have they been hiding from me? Not that I have anything to say, right?

"I'll be back in an hour," Jasmine says. "I'm going to go check on Paige."

"Yeah, alright," Riley says. He won't look at her.

When she leaves, Eric throws his hands up in the air exasperated. "Can I fucking go back to work now? Max has been chewing me out all fucking morning." Riley nods, and Eric looks at me while pointing his finger at me. "I'll see you later."

"Okay," I nod, deeply ashamed of myself and feeling oh so tiny, and look down at my sweaty still trembling hands. I can't believe I blew this whole thing out of proportion. I watch Eric walk to the door before he turns back and comes to me. He grabs my face and plants a solid kiss on my lips, then turns on his heel and leaves without another word.

Yep, the world has gone mad... It was just scientifically proven.

Riley sighs a heavy sigh that could weigh down ten men as he pulls his phone out. He stares at it for a moment. "I fucked up, Mel," he mutters and shakes his head slightly. "She's not going to talk to me."

"Well, don't fucking text her. Go find her," I say. "I'll watch your little clones."

He looks at me and then to his girls. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

I nod as I slide off the bar stool. "Hey, do you girls want to make some cookies?" Happy laughter and squeaky voices is all I hear as I watch Riley walk out of the apartment again. I hope Darcy will listen to him. She just has to…

* * *

Riley doesn't come back soon. In fact, Jasmine comes back before he does. She and I are standing in the kitchen talking as the girls play.

"Riley," Jasmine scoffs, "He's..." She shakes her head and I see that look in her eyes, the one that tells me that she likes him. I mean, yeah she's had a kid with him, but there is more there. But by his body language earlier I'm thinking he's aware and it's not mutual. "He refused to marry any of us." She shakes her head again. "Couldn't be 'tied' down." She rolls her eyes. "He's just a player."

"Riley is a kind man," I say firmly.

"I'm not saying he's not," she says, and looks over at her daughter. "Just would've been nice if Harley had a dad—"

"She _has_ a father," I nearly snap. "And he's a good father. Don't talk about him like he's trash." I think my hormones are getting crazy again.

She shakes her head. "You're still young."

"I'm almost nineteen." I say quietly, not submissively, but to control my anger. "I believe I know Riley better than you do."

She rolls her eyes and the girls' presence is the only thing keeping me from slamming this bitch's face into the refrigerator door. "Doesn't matter. He's got that little blonde bimbo now."

I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow in warning as I stare at her. "Don't. I'm serious. That's my best friend you're talking about."

The front door opens and in walks Riley. He looks at Jasmine and then to the girls. "Sorry, I had to take care of some business."

"That's fine," Jasmine smiles. "Harley, Alexis, let's go girls." She turns back to Riley and touches his chest in a way that makes him practically turn to stone. "Paige isn't doing well."

"I'll keep Alexis." Riley says and Jasmine nods.

"Alright."

He picks up Alexis and holds her. I look away as they say their goodbyes. I don't like Jasmine. She might be beautiful and contribute thick ebony locks to Riley's other baby girl, but that's about all she's good for in my book. The door shuts and I turn back to look at Riley.

"I couldn't find Darcy," he says, "Four said he hasn't seen her."

"She told me she was going to train." I say.

He shrugs and shakes his head. Crap. Shitfuck. I pull my phone out and call her, but it goes straight to her voicemail. I text her again, but she still doesn't respond.

I go to training and glance at my phone every chance I get. She still hasn't texted me back by dinner time. I'm worried now. No, I'm past worried. I see Eric enter the training room and I walk over to him. He's writing something on a clipboard.

"What?" He asks me without looking up.

"Darcy isn't texting me back, and Riley and I don't know where she is," I say quietly, "She was covering for me and then Riley found the pregnancy tests in her jacket." I glance around as I say this and Eric looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "They got into a fight, Eric, and now no one knows where she is."

He clears his throat and looks around as he takes that scary Eric stance. I watch a couple of initiates pass us by, and his eyes slide back to me. "I'll go look for her, Mel. I don't want you to leave the compound, do you understand?" I nod and he sighs. "I think I know where she is. Take this to Max." He hands me his clipboard, gives my hip a little squeeze before he walks away.

* * *

 **Eric**

"Paige had another episode the other day and she's in the hospital," Riley mutters. "Things aren't looking good." I watch him stare at Alexis playing with her dolls at the coffee table. He steps into the kitchen and whispers. "If Paige dies, they'll place Alexis with her grandmother back in Candor."

"Isn't there any family here?" I ask.

"No, none." He shakes his head. "Do you know what that'll do to my little girl?" His eyes are watering and it's unnerving, to say the least. I've never seen him cry and I'm not about to. I place a hand on his shoulder and squeeze, trying to give him some strength. "I just want Darcy right now."

"I'm going to go find her, alright?"

Five minutes later I'm staring at the clouds as I'm walking. It's going to rain. The broken glass crunches under my boots as I go into the broken building. I climb the stairs carefully and see her standing at the window looking down.

"What's your plan?" I ask her.

"Trying to figure out how to disappear," Darcy replies lightly.

"Why would you want to do that?" I ask as I step up next to her.

"Because there's not much left, and to just wander around here would be a mistake."

"I know about Melanie," I tell her, and she looks over at me. I smile.

"Congratulations," she says flatly.

"Riley was looking for you," I say, but she only shrugs. "Look, he explained what happened and I can explain—"

"Eric, please." she shakes her head. "I'm tired. I'm tired of everything."

"Paige is dying, Darcy. That's why Riley was so mean." I tilt my head and try to get her to look at me. "If Paige dies then Alexis is taken away. She goes to Candor to live with her grandmother."

"But Riley is her father," Darcy gasps as worry fills her eyes.

I shake my head. "Not according to public record. His name isn't on the birth certificates."

She goes quiet for a few minutes and her eyes are distant.

"So you and Melanie are good then?" she asks finally.

"Yeah," I laugh lightly. "I think I'm just going to take her to the Hub tonight and get us hitched."

"That'd be good," Darcy nods. "Good for you two." Her head snaps up and she looks at me with wide eyes, "That's it!"

"What?"

"Riley and Paige," she grins, and bolts for the stairs.

"Wait, what?" I follow her down the broken steps, nearly falling on loose rocks.

"They need to get married. Riley can adopt Alexis, therefore making him the guardian. It sounds rather ridiculous, but it's allowed."

"I thought maybe he could just take a paternity test," I say.

"He could, but that takes time and too many legalities, and her family will get involved and we don't know what they're like. Besides, all of Paige's assets will go to her family, not Riley. He needs to marry her and then he'll inherit her things. He'll get Alexis and everything she is accustomed to." She is just full of joy while saying this and I'm a little put off by it.

"Okay, can we just walk?" I grab her arm and she looks up at me.

"I need to go talk to Paige." She says.

"She's been taken to the Erudite hospital. It's better for her."

"Well… Uh, could you drop me off when you take Mel to the Hub?"

I stare at her, I can't believe this. "Sure." It sounds more like a question. "We'll have to hurry though because the visiting hours end in—" I glance at my watch "-an hour."

"Then go get Mel and let's go." She bolts towards the compound and I'm forced to run after her. This is weird. This is one of the weirdest days I've ever experienced.

* * *

I talk with Melanie quickly as I practically drag her down the hallways by her hand to the garages. The three of us take a car and leave. Darcy explains her plan to Melanie, and Melanie surprisingly stays quiet and is looking at both of us like we've lost our marbles, and maybe we have. Darcy's insanity is contagious, I've decided.  
We leave her outside of the Erudite hospital and I take Mel to the Hub. We sign the papers, and it's official: She's mine, I'm hers. Bla bla bla. The End.  
I stop twice on our way back to Erudite Hospital to consummate my marriage. Melanie can't stop giggling, and the worst part of it all is that I can't stop grinning as well…

And why should I? I got what I wanted.


	31. Chapter 31

**Happy Mancrush Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. If not, big hug for you xox.**

 **Darcy has finally reached her limits and Riley doesn't know how to handle it. This is a rather sad chapter... Enjoy, review, and see you on Wednesday, muffins xoxoxox**

 **UPDATE: my co-writer is finally flooding FFN with her marvellous work. Look her up! Her name is diplulmaris-antartica (it is the latin name of a squid) Show some love, people!**

* * *

 **Darcy**

"Darcy, I don't know." Paige shakes her head, she looks tired and weak.  
She tucks some hair behind her ear and I look at the plastic hospital bracelet on her wrist. I can't help but think of the tea party Riley had with his girls and the bracelets they wore.

"Paige, if you die–"

"When," she says and I look her in the eyes. "Darcy, when I die."

"Look, Riley needs Alexis and Alexis needs him," I say quietly. "If you two got married–"

"I know, Darcy. I know all that," she says. "But Riley..." She shakes her head and closes her eyes, she's in pain. "He isn't going to do that." Her voice is strained.

"I'll talk to him," I say.

She's quiet and looks me over. "Why would you do that? You and Riley are–"

I shake my head, "No, we uh.. .he dumped me."

The ache in my chest hasn't dulled at all and I don't know if Riley will ever want me back. Not after I lied to him about such a serious thing. As well as if I really did get pregnant one day then what, he'd probably do it again. My thoughts are scattered all over the place as I look around the room then back to Paige. "Look, you should consider it. I'll talk to him about it."

I leave Paige because visiting hours are over and standing there any longer will make me cry over Riley again. I don't like crying because of him.  
I climb into the back seat when Eric and Melanie pull up and we're all quiet. When we get back to Dauntless I leave them quickly to go back to the dormitory. I don't want to talk to anyone right now. I just want to climb into my bed and bury my face into my pillow.

But I bump into Peter and as soon as he looks down at me I start crying. The initial shock in his eyes fades quickly and he wraps his arms around me and pulls me away from the main hall.  
"What's going on?" He asks.

"Nothing. I'm just being emotional," I mumble as I wipe at my tears.

"I don't believe that. There's a reason behind this, you might as well tell me."

"I can't really tell you everything." I shake my head, my voice is so quiet and broken. "I don't want to be here anymore, Peter."

"Hey now." He leans down, his hands hold my face so that I can't look away from him. "You're doing really well. You're going to be fine. I don't know what has you like this and it's okay if you don't want to tell me, but don't just leave."

"You don't understand," I whisper. "I can't stay here."

"Does this have something to do with Father Time?" Peter narrows his eyes, "Did he hurt you?" He looks alarmed for a second and I grab his arms. "Did he do something?"

"No, Peter, it's not like that." I almost laugh. "Yeah it involves him, but…" I don't know what to say. I can't put it to words. I clear my throat and decide I'm being a big fucking baby about this, "Look, it's fine. I'm sorry I'm just tired I guess."  
I manage to get a grip on my sanity. If Riley doesn't want me anymore then that's fine. I just want him to be happy. Peter is staring down at me and I know he doesn't believe me but I don't care. And he knows I don't care if he believes me.

"Darcy, if he hurt you then it should be reported," he says quietly. The tone of finality in his voice sets me on edge.

"I love him, Peter." I look down at our feet. "I uh, he and I have had a relationship for a few weeks now and I kind of messed it up."

"A relationship?" Peter says it numbly. "Darcy he's a leader. That's not–"

"I know, Peter." I say almost annoyed. "You can't tell anyone, alright?" I stare at his eyes and he focuses on me and nods.

"Darcy…"Peter shakes his head, "the dude could be your father."

I burst into laughter and I can't hold it in. I wrap my arms around Peter and press my face to his chest as he hugs me back. He smells so familiar to me and I don't want to let him go. We walk back to the dormitory together and sit on my bed watching the other initiates before curfew.  
We don't talk but he holds my hand and keeps looking over at me to make sure I'm alright.  
That's Peter. The only other person he's ever worried about besides himself is me. I know Peter has the potential to like me, I've seen it in his eyes since he's been here but he isn't one to put himself out there unless he knows it's a sure thing.  
I appreciate him for that. I look down at his hands wrapped around mine protectively and think about it. If the two of us pass, maybe I'll further his feelings for me and try to forget I ever had anything to do with Riley.

* * *

The next morning Peter and I walk together because he wont leave my side. Four has his eyes glued on me for the entire first half of training. When lunch time rolls around he calls my name out specifically and tells me to stay as the others file out. Peter looks back at me and I nod letting him know I'll come find him. I turn and look at Four and when we're all alone his eyes slide to me.  
I'm staring at his mouth. He's not a bad looking guy but his personality makes him ugly. If I didn't know who he really was then I might've found him to be kind of handsome.

"You should start thinking about the future," he says. His voice is low and I feel stuck under his gaze. "

What do you mean, sir?" I ask. I hate calling him that. I don't respect him at all. His eyes harden like he can read my thoughts.

"I mean," he says sharply but still quiet, "whether or not you really want to pass."

His eyes go to the board and I follow. I find my name near the bottom. I haven't been doing well and it's probably because I missed a lot of opportunities while I was taking care of Riley. I was supposed to be making up for it. I feel my shoulders fall just a fraction and my apathy creeps back up my spine. It truly doesn't matter to me if I fail. I glance at my shoes before I look Four square in the eyes.

"I'm sorry." I don't know why the fuck I'm saying 'I'm sorry' but it seems like a viable thing to say.

"Sorry?" He snaps, "Have I taught you nothing?" He steps closer until I can feel the air around him invading my personal bubble, making my own air fill with static. He is hostile without even showing it. "You fall anymore in rankings and I'll beat some sense into you." he whispers so quietly he might has well be yelling. I stare at his neck and feel my hands start to shake. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes, sir." I can barely speak.

* * *

After the second half of training I go to the office. "Eric, I need you to talk to Riley for me," I say. Eric looks up at me from his paperwork with the same bored expression as always. "It's just that I'm falling behind in rankings and I don't have the time. Also I think it would be better if it was coming from you."

"You want me to talk to him about Paige?" He sets his pen down and locks his fingers together in front of him. The amused look in his eyes makes me feel childish but I nod.

I want him to talk to Riley for the reasons I said as well as I'm too terrified to even see Riley right now. But I can't tell him that, I already feel like the biggest idiot in the compound. "Please?"

He rolls his eyes. "Fine. Only because I owe you," he whispers. "Now get out."

"Thank you."

I walk out of the office and go towards the cafeteria for dinner even though I'm not hungry. If I keep skipping meals I'll make myself sick so I sit at the table with Peter and his friends and I force the food down. My eyes go up to the leaders table unintentionally and I look back down at my tray immediately. Riley is here. He's come out of his apartment.

He's staring right at me. Seconds later I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out and see his name on my screen. I slide my thumb across and unlock my phone to read the message. _Let's talk_.  
My thumb hovers over the reply bar but I can't bring myself to touch it. I slide my phone back into my pocket and look at Peter staring at me. I smile at him and he wraps his arm around my neck and pulls me close, planting his lips on my temple.

"You okay, baby girl?" He whispers so only I can hear.

"Yeah."

I have to go meet Four because he's determined to get me back up in rankings and I feel like my world is getting weirder by the minute. Forcibly, I keep myself from looking back up at Riley even though I can feel him staring at me. I just as well strap weights to my whole body and paint myself bright orange because that's how he makes me feel.

Peter walks out of the cafeteria with me and then goes with his friends when I tell him I'm going to go train some more. Four is standing on a mat waiting for me and playing on is phone. He looks irritated.

"Took you long enough to get here."

"I'm sorry." I mumble. Fuck you, Four. I watch him leisurely walk over and set his phone in one of his shoes. He turns and looks at me. What the fuck is he staring at?

"How's Riley doing?" he asks. I narrow my eyes at him.

"He's fine, I guess."

"Yeah," He nods slightly, "He must be feeling better if he doesn't need you anymore."

I want to hit Four in the face with a fucking brick. His words are almost innocent but the tone of his voice is so piercing I feel like I can't take a deep breath. Riley doesn't need me anymore. I'm not wanted. That's what he's saying. I close my eyes and give myself a second to readjust to these thoughts before I look back at Four.

"Shall we begin?" he smiles.

* * *

I limp down the hall to go to the dormitory and I feel sick. Four slammed me down on the mat at the end. He told me I did well but then he told me it wasn't going to save me unless I worked harder. So that is what I have to do. I have to prove myself to someone I hate to get up in rankings for something I'm not good at to stay in a faction that I don't really belong to. For what reason? So that I can wander around here and casually bump into people that don't like me. As I turn the corner I see a face that I don't really want to look at. I think her name is Hattie. Her eyes follow me as we pass each other.

"Did you think you could make it?" She says and I turn and look at her. She's staring at me.

"I'm sorry?" God am I sorry a lot lately.

"You heard me." She lifts her chin. "Did you really think you could make it? Did you really think you were good enough for him?"

"For who?" She rolls her eyes, "Riley, dumbass." I watch her hair sway as she shakes her head and chuckles, "He told me what happened. Pretty stupid of you."

"Fuck off." I mutter. "Have fun raising a child by yourself."

It's my turn to roll my eyes. I turn away and walk. I'm not even going to bother to correct her. It's none of her damn business. But the shame that spreads across my skin with every step I take is making my walk back to the dorm a fucking marathon. I take a left when I should go right. I need some air. I push the door to go outside and I just walk.

I keep walking until I'm standing at the edge of a canal. I stare at the water and the reflection of the moon. What have I done with my life? I reach into my pocket and pull the lighter out. I feel nothing but resentment when I look at it. I had told Riley to give Alexis something to hold on to if she were to ever leave. I brush my thumb over my name and turn it over to look at the gash in the metal. This stupid trinket. A tangible reminder of what a fuck up I am. I bite my bottom lip as my hand closes around it tightly, feeling it's edges rival the bones in my fingers. My father lied. He was nothing but a fucking liar. I'm shaking as I try to hold in all the bad energy that I've held onto for years. He didn't honestly think I could survive. He left and I have destroyed myself because I'm… I can't think for myself.

I shout in pure, unaltered and agonizing frustration as I pull my arm back and pitch the lighter as far as I can throw it. I don't see where it goes but I hear the splash and it breaks me. I fall to my knees and feel the gravel hurt me as I sob into my hands. I cry until I can't feel anything.

* * *

 **Riley**

I return to supervise training after another couple weeks. Darcy doesn't reply to my text messages and I can't ever seem to find her. As I walk into the training room Four already has the initiates on the mats fighting. This is their last week for physical. I hear thumping of bodies hitting the mats. When I stand next to Four and look at the two initiates on the mat I can only stare at her.

She's changed herself. Darcy slams the girl to the mat with ferocity and moves like a predator putting her into a painful armbar until the girl screams. She lets her go and the girl hurries away from her.

"Good," Four smiles, "Well done, Darcy."

As she stands straight I can't believe it. Her hair is cut to the top of her shoulders and she looks mean. Until she steps off the mat and hugs that Peter kid. I don't like how he puts his arm around her shoulders and they laugh together. Her eyes meet mine and she looks away quickly. Eric talked to me and told me about her idea. I was pissed at first. I tried to call her and text her but she wouldn't answer me. So I went to talk to Paige at the hospital. Paige wants a little more time to think about it even though I told her we could do it.

"Alright. Go for your run." Four calls out when they've all finished fighting. We watch them leave and Four steps up next to me. "Amazing, right?" he mumbles.

"Hm?" My eyes slide across the room as I turn my head slowly and look at him.

"Darcy." He nods at her and I glance at her before she disappears around a corner. "She's doing amazing." I don't like that look in his eyes. He smiles at me, "She's got quite the tight little body."

I can see it. I can see myself strangling Four. I blink once before I focus back on him. Fucking prick.

"She's doing well." I say calmly. My jaw aches to be clenched.

* * *

I wait outside the dormitory as the initiates are coming back from dinner.

"Darcy." I say clearly, a couple initiates look between us as they go through the doors. Darcy looks at me and I nod for her to come over. She says something to her friends and then walks to me. I wait until all of them disappear into the dorm and I look at her. "Come with me." I say sternly. She follows me down the hall. I stop and turn, looking down at her. She's folded her arms and is staring down to the left. "Why haven't you responded to me?"

"What do you mean?" She asks stiffly.

"I've texted you. I've called you and nothing."

She shrugs. "I uh, got a new phone."

"Oh yeah?" I pull my phone out and call her, the ringing in her pocket can't be ignored. I end the call and the ringing goes silent. She doesn't say anything. "Well?"

"Was there something you needed?" She asks coldly.

I narrow my eyes at her. I'm speechless. She's the only person that does this to me.

The look in her eyes grows intolerant. "Can I go now, Sir?"

"No." I shake my head, I sound childish. "No, you cannot go. You'll come with me. You'll come see your fucking dog. And you'll visit with Alexis and you'll see Melanie."

She rolls her eyes, "I'm busy."

"That's enough attitude, initiate." I growl and her eyes sharpen on me. "Now."

I grab her arm and pull her down the hall, into the stairwell and up to my apartment. I unlock the door and shove her in. Alexis is at Eric and Melanie's so I don't have to worry for a minute. Socks barks and comes bounding out of the bedroom. Darcy is stiff and won't touch him. I can see it's difficult for her to not react.

"Fucking pat him, Darcy!" I snap feeling the tension of the wire in my face. Fucking wire.

She reaches down and pats his head, scratches behind his ears. Slowly she melts around him and gives him a hug. He's whining and rooing at her. He's missed his momma. I take my coat off and hang it up and Socks hurries over to greet me. His tail wagging wildly. I pet him and look back to Darcy, she's looking around.

"The place is a bit messy." I mumble as I look around at the dolls and stuffed animals. Bows and ribbons scattered all over the coffee table.

"How..." She clears her throat, "How is Alexis?"

"She's growing faster than I'm comfortable with." I mutter. "I talked to Paige." Darcy nods silently and Socks has taken to licking her fingers. "I go back tomorrow to talk to her again and we'll be deciding what to do." I say.

She is stone. For fuck sakes I wish she'd show me some emotion.

"Hm." Her shoulders have strengthened, I can tell by the roundness. She's gotten leaner and less soft. "Okay. Well.." She turns and looks at the door. "I should go."

"Hang on. Melanie is going to bring Alexis back in a little bit. I think they're baking cookies or something."

"Sir, I need–"

"Please stop calling me that." I say.

"Do you prefer Mr. O'Bannon?"

She blinks slowly. I step towards her and cup her face with my hands. She looks up at me. There's an internal struggle in her eyes that you can't see from five feet away. She's been working so hard. She's managed to stay in the middle of rankings. But she's changed so much. I lean down and kiss her. Fuck this god damn wire! Her lips thaw against mine and move slowly. Our eyes close and her hands slide into my hair. We move until I have her pressed against a wall. The energy between us flares up into a white hot lust and we stumble into the bedroom.

We claw at each other's clothing. She actually rips my shirt as she pulls it off me. I pick her up and kick the door shut. I learn new things about her in just a couple minutes. I learn that she has gotten more tattoos. She's got bruises like nobody's business and scars forming. I yank the bed away from the wall because I don't want to scare my little girl next door then I climb onto it. I climb onto Darcy. I'm kissing her as I open her legs and push into her. Her legs lock around me tight. I fuck her twice in a row.

Darcy has her head on my chest and one arm across me. "I think you've successfully fucked me into dehydration." She whispers.

I smile as she pushes herself up, hugging the sheet to her chest. Her face is flushed and her hair is a mess. She combs a hand through it. I miss it being long but I'm not going to say anything. I like it if she likes it.

"I need to leave." She says and I hear knocking on the front door. It's probably Melanie.

"Just stay a little longer." I say as I sit up and grab my sweats from the floor where I left them this morning. I pull them on and look at her. She doesn't look happy. Fuck. I walk out and answer the door.

Alexis comes in and hugs my leg. "Hi, daddy." she smiles up at me.

Melanie walks in with a plate of brownies and I look at them suspiciously. "Don't worry. They're just plain ol' boring brownies." She rolls her eyes and takes them to the kitchen.

"Darcy!" Alexis chirps and I turn to see Darcy coming out of the bedroom. I glance at Melanie who is already grinning at me suggestively. That's right, Mel, I fucked her. Proud of it.

"Hello," Darcy smiles at Alexis and kneels down to recieve the hug my little girl is dying to give her. "You been keeping Socks company?"

"Yes." Alexis smiles, "Melly and I made brownies. Do you want one?"

"Of course I want one." Darcy grins and I'm in love with her.

I want her. I want to marry her. She picks Alexis up and carries her to the breakfast bar, sets her on a stool and walks around to get a brownie. Mel hugs her and Darcy is stiff again. She takes a brownie.

"I should get back to the dorms."

"You don't have to go back right now." I say softly.

"I should get some sleep." Darcy says as she walks to the door.

"I'll walk you back, Mel, will you watch Alexis?"

"Yep.." She nods as she grabs a brownie. I walk with Darcy out into the the hallway.

"Actually I need to go to the infirmary." She mumbles.

"I'll take you." I say. Perhaps I'm too desperate to spend time with her.

"You don't have to." She shakes her head and I watch her hair. I grab her forearm gently and make her turn to look at me.

"Darce, what's up?"

"Nothing. I just need to go get a shot and get to bed, sir." She says, "Thanks for the fuck."

"I love you." I whisper. She's quiet as she stares at me. "Do you love me?"

"I'm too busy to." She says. What the fuck does that mean? "Hey, marry Paige and get that shit taken care of. Alexis is really happy with you."

I shake my head, "Darcy, come on." I pull her closer and she's subtly reluctant. "I know you liked that." I nod back to my door. She tries to look away and I don't understand her evasiveness. "I'll marry Paige, alright? But when everything is done I want you in my bed. I want to marry you."

"Riley," she shakes her head and tries to pull her arm away but I don't want to let her go. I can't. "You don't want me–"

I cut her off and press my body against hers, pinning her to the wall. "That's bullshit. I think it's painfully obvious how much I want you." I whisper, she turns her face away from mine. I slide my hands down and grab her ass, pushing her against me. "I want you to be mine."

"Cant have two leaders marrying initiates. What would that say about this faction's leadership?" She says bitterly. "I need to go now."

"You love me?"

"No."

"You're a fucking liar." I growl.

"So what?" She snaps quietly, her eyes flit to mine then slide down to my mouth so I kiss her. I kiss her even though she pushes against me then I let her go. She glares up at me. "You shouldn't do th–"

"Sweetheart, I'll fuck you here. Right now. I don't care who comes around the corner."

"I'm going." she says.

"Yeah… you should." I say with a clipped tone. "Come back tomorrow. Or I'll come find you."


	32. Chapter 32

**Melanie and Eric Wednesday! YAY! Questions will be answered so enjoy, review and see you on Freaky Friday xoxox**

* * *

 **Eric**

"Will you stop grinning like a fool?" Melanie scolds as she straddles me.

"No, why should I?" I laugh as I throw the blanket over us and try to find the most comfortable position on the couch. "I got want I want, Cupcake."

All week we've been busy tidying and redecorating to turn my apartment into our home, and today we're finally done. I'm still not feeling the fluffy pillows on the couches and the bed, though I'm willing to admit that the large plush blankets were an excellent idea.

"Because we got married a week ago, and it's time to stop grinning about it like that cat from Alice in Wonderland."

I chuckle as I cup the back of her head and pull her closer for a long kiss. "Ooh, you're up for our first marital fight?"

She gives me a venomous glare that doesn't hide her nervousness completely. "You want me to puke again?"

Of course she would use her morning sickness as a weapon of choice. I raise my eyebrow and smirk. "You want me to get you some coffee?"

Immediately she scrunches up her face and her hands fly to cover her mouth while she rapidly swallows a few times. "Oh, my God, Eric! I hate you so fucking much!"

I try to stifle my laugh as I pull her down to me and start rubbing her back. She is right, that was mean of me. Morning sickness hit her with a vengeance the morning after we got married. That one time I thought about being actually nice by bringing her breakfast on bed ended in disaster as soon as she woke up and literally smelled the coffee. It has gotten to a point that I have to brush my teeth before leaving the office or else she won't let me into the apartment, and the word coffee has become a trigger as well – which of course, I make good use of.

"I'm sorry, Mel," I try to say with a straight face.

"No, you're not!" she snaps viciously in the crook of my neck, and I can't contain my laughter any longer. "And stop shaking, you asshole!"

I have to admit that all week I wanted to get even with her. My reaction to the news of her being pregnant had surprised both her and Riley, but I've known Melanie since she was twelve so I've been around her long enough to know all the tell-tale signs. Whenever Melanie is on her period, she has the munchies for ice cream. So much so that she would break into Candor headquarters to steal their famous ice cream. Here at Dauntless we have the stuff too, but Candor's ice cream is the best of the best. The month before initiation started, Mel had stolen some out of the school cafeteria, then got into a fight with another kid who had tried to steal it from her.

But here's the thing: She hadn't eaten any ice cream since.  
Plus, I can still count back. Not once had we used protection, and not once had we made any effort to bring up the subject – until Riley's near fatality. But by then it had been too late. And I understand her panic and I don't blame her, but I still feel that she should've told me because we both had known what we've been doing all those weeks.

The oven alarm goes off and I let go of her. My eyes stay glued on her fine ass as I follow her into the kitchen. She takes the chocolate cake out of the oven and quickly closes the door with a bump of her hip before placing the cake on the stove.

"Do not touch the cake, or I swear to God, I'll break your fingers," she warns while turning off the oven.

"Why not?" I ask incredulously as my mouth begins to water. There comes a knock on the front door before she can answer me. Melanie freezes and stares at me with big round eyes.

"Here we go," I mutter as I go to the front door to answer it. My lower abdomen tightens and a stab of fear shoots through me as soon as I look into the amber eyes of Melody. "Hey guys, welcome." I manage to smile to Mel's parents and brothers as I open the door further for them to enter.

"Hi, sweetheart," Melody smiles tightly when I give her a kiss on her cheek. Then she sees her daughter standing just a few feet away and a genuine warm smile appears.

While they collide into a tight embrace, I shake Marcus' extended hand and nod to Gunner who is glaring at me with all his might – again. I grin at him and he rolls his eyes, but he can't hide the twitching of the corners of his lips. I raise my fists, and Twin One and Two simultaneously give me fist bumps.

"Damn, Eric," Twin One whistles. "Our house fits twice in your living room!"

"I'm definitely going to become a leader," the other one mumbles, clearly awestruck.

"You think you're up for the neck tattoo?" I smirk at him. I honestly don't know how Riley can tell who's who. I suspect that they aren't even twins, but clones. "It's done with needle and ink; the old school way."

They look at each other, shudder as on cue, then say simultaneously, "Never mind then."

I honestly hope that they won't speak in chorus again because it seriously freaks me out, every single time.

"And to what do we own the pleasure of being invited for dinner by one of our illustrious leaders?" Melody beams while holding Melanie's hand tightly.

I look at Melanie and smile. She rushes to my side and takes my hand firmly in hers. Her hands are sweaty and trembling, so it's up to me to deliver them the good news.

"A celebration of sorts," I tell them lightly, and half-hidden behind me Melanie begins to giggle nervously. I gesture with my free hand to the dining table. "Please, have a seat."

"Ooh, you brought out the expensive china, Eric," Melody coos when she sits down and eyes the table setting approvingly.

Marcus chuckles darkly. "It's not late for you to back out of the bet you're about to lose, woman."

Melody's laughter echoes through the whole apartment. "Hell, no! I'm even doubling the bet. Two weeks off and breakfast on bed every single morning during that period."

"Three weeks if Gunner loses it," Marcus winks, and Melanie and I join in the laughter when Gunner's face darkens with a sour impression.

While I'm providing almost everyone with enough liquor to subdue an elephant, Melanie places the platters on the dining table, every now and then smacking a wandering hand.

"Manners!" she scowls jokingly while kissing each family member on the cheek.

I'll never seize to be amazed by the amount of love between each of them. I had never known what I had missed during my life in Erudite until I was introduced to the Wilson family and became a part of them. She takes the seat beside me and our hands immediately find each other while our eyes lock.  
I'm absolutely not a romantic or sentimental type of guy, but goddammit, I'm suddenly thrown back into time to that day I kissed the most beautiful girl in the world for the first time. Almost four years later that same girl is my pregnant wife, and I'm glad I don't have to face the same legal problems Riley has to deal with. This baby is mine, no matter what.

"What the fuck are they doing?" I hear Gunner suddenly muttering.

"Hush! They're having a moment!" Melody hisses, sounding both irritated and deeply moved at the same time.

"Well, it's disgusting," my best friend snaps. "Fucking pansies…"

I look at him and smirk coldly. "You want me to put that ringtone back on my phone?"

"Dude!" he cries out while Melanie bursts into laughter.

"Then I suggest you to shut the fuck up," I warm him. I return my attention to Melody and Marcus, and raises my glass to them. "Melanie and I invited you here today to tell you that we got married last week."

"AHA!" Melody shouts triumphantly to her husband while the twins erupt into loud cheering and whoops. "I told you they got married! You lose, mister. Melanie isn't preggers!"

Melanie groans softly and slides lower on her chair as her mother joins in the laughter and cheering of her youngest sons. I don't fail to notice Gunner's relieved sigh, and Marcus' disappointment.

Here goes nothing. "Well," I drawl while smirking at Melody, "you both have won the bet."

The silence that follows is denser than lead when they all stare at us in utter shock and disbelief. Melody narrows her eyes at me and I swallow thickly when those amber eyes turn into two lethal heat-seeking missiles.

"Say what now?" she says in a scary low voice, and for one split second I think of fleeing. But I can't leave Melanie behind to face the wrath of her mother all by herself. But then again, my wife can run fast. But on the other hand, knowing Melody, she would shoot me in the back or something equally dramatic and lethal before I could reach the stairway…

"I-I'm pregnant, mom," Melanie squeaks, and by the quiver in her voice I know she's about to burst into tears. Before her mother can react, Melanie jumps up and bolts away. Just seconds later I hear her emptying her stomach in the bathroom. I rise to go to her, but I freeze when Melody gives me a warning glare while she rises as well.

"Let me handle this," she says coldly. "You've done enough as it is."

I clear my throat and try to swallow, but my mouth has gone extremely dry. I glance at Marcus, only to find him looking at me with an amused and proud look while biting his bottom lip in order not to laugh out loud. Well, at least he's on our side. Maybe I can use him as a diversion while running for my life. He's broad and tall enough to slow Melody down for a few seconds.  
We smirk at each other before looking at Gunner who looks like someone just hit him on the head with a boulder.

Marcus pats him on the back and grins. "Once again Eric beats you to it, son. Shame on you." He raises his glass to me and takes a healthy swig of his whiskey. "So, how much time do I have to change her old room into a nursery, son?" he asks me.

I lean against the back of the chair and grin. "She's only six weeks pregnant, Marcus. There is still enough time left for you to decide whether to paint the walls black or black."

We begin to snicker and soon enough we're both laughing out loud.

"You couldn't have waited just a bit longer?" Gunner sneers at me.

I shrug. "In case you're wondering whether or not we've planned this, the answer is not really. It happened and I don't regret it. There is no one for me but Mel. I love her."

Gunner makes a face. "I know, but come on, man! You could've at least waited till after initiation."

"It doesn't matter anymore. She's a full-fledged member of Dauntless now, and a leader's wife. And fuck the faction laws; she got pregnant before initiation started. I'll wage a war if someone starts bitching about it."

"Hear, hear!" Marcus chuckles as he raises his glass again. "Fuck waiting. Waiting is for pansies and stiffs. We're Dauntless and always one bullet or one stab away from death, Gunner. You of all people should know that. Just look what happened to Riley. We almost lost him – again. No, I for one am glad that they got married, and that there's another Wilson on their way."

"Thanks, man," I say to him. "I really appreciate it."

"Welcome to the family, son," he grins proudly. "Now, let's eat before I pass out. It could take ages for the ladies to reappear. Melody practically lived in the bathroom during her pregnancies. Man, I'm telling you, with every child she gave me, people were asking me if I was critically ill, that scrawny I was. Even the factionless were giving me food while I was out patrolling the streets! If it weren't for them, I would've gone hungry."

Gunner and I look at each other and we begin to chuckle when we both roll our eyes at his old man. He then shakes his head and raises his glass to me. "Well, good luck then, bro. Don't come crying when she chews your head off or makes you sleep on the couch."

"She won't," I state with confidence while filling my plate with the delicious food Melanie has prepared. The cooking absolutely excels her baking.

Marcus almost chokes on his food when he and his sons burst into laughter. "You wanna bet?"

* * *

By the time Melanie and her mother return, we just finished eating seconds and I'm trying to decide whether to jeopardise my life by serving the cake or wait just a while longer.  
It takes me one look at the tearstained faces of mother and daughter to forget all about the cake.

Marcus stands up and pulls his daughter against him while Melody gestures to me to stand as well. The second I rise, she wraps her arms around me and gives me one of her tightest hugs ever. I freeze for a moment before my arms snake around her.

"Well, I guess you answered my question, son," she sniffles. "Thank you."

I don't know what to say. I've never seen Melody this emotional, and it's quite unnerving to witness. I don't handle emotions very well, unless it concerns Melanie and her theatrical antics.

Melody releases me and takes a deep breath to calm herself down. "Now, food. Please!" She looks at the table, then glares at all of us when she sees the remains of the chicken. "There better be another chicken in the oven for me."

Gunner and the twin fidget nervously on their chairs while Marcus tries to hide behind his own daughter, and I let them squirm for a second or two before I wink at Melody. "There is."

She laughs and takes her seat again. "Smart man."

"No, your daughter taught me well," I tell her after returning from the kitchen with the second roasted chicken, "and not in a good way."

Melanie lets out a snort as she piles mashed potatoes on her plate. She glances at me and sticks her tongue out.

"She already have cravings?" Melody asks while carving the chicken with her own hunting knife that is larger than mine.

I shrug while admiring the knife. It's nearly the size of a fucking sword. "I have no idea, but she can't stand the smell of coffee anymore."

"Eric!" Melanie whines beside me. Immediately my hand finds her back to rub it with soothing circles, but I don't miss the amused look between Melody and Marcus.

"So, what about her initiation?" Gunner asks me.

I shrug slowly. "I still haven't informed Max about her condition because we wanted to tell you guys first. But Mel is determined to finish the first stage so I'm trying to figure out a way for her to do just that without her harming Junior. The fights between the initiates begin next week, and frankly I don't want her anywhere near the Arena from then on."

"A wise decision," Melody nods. "And don't you worry about Max. Send him to me as soon as he opens his big mouth. I'll deal with him."

"I'll handle Max," I assure her. "But thanks for the offer."

"Mel, have you thought about a job after initiation?" one of the twins asks.

"Yeah," she giggles. "Lunch lady. I want one of those hair ne— AAAH!" She screams with laughter when I jab my fingers in her side. "I'm kidding! STOP!"

She better be…

* * *

 **Melanie**

Shaking with anger I watch the match between Gabe and Ezra. Even though Gabe is the taller and more muscular one, Ezra is fast as lightning and just as deadly. A collective 'Ooh!' sounds through the Arena when Gabe goes down after a vicious uppercut.  
Uriah and Jace carry him off the mat while Ezra shrugs and grins at Lauren.

I look at Eric again. "Please, just one match," I beg him for the millionth time. "I'll be careful, I pro—"

"No," Eric says in a bored tone. I stare at him until I can't stand the cold fury in his eyes anymore and have to look away.

For weeks I've been forced to watch the others having fun. I hate that everyone is treating me as if I'm made of glass since I told them that I'm pregnant. Eric watches me like a guard dog, and if he's not around, my cousins and friends don't let me out of their sight.  
But that isn't even the worse part.

Darcy is giving me the Riley-treatment.  
Whenever I see her and try talking to her, her answers are curt, and she is just distant and cold. She doesn't hang out with the Dauntless-born anymore, and she hardly even glanced at the photo of the ultrasound I had last week. I fucking miss her so much that it actually hurts. So it doesn't help at all that I can't beat the shit out of someone. God, I would do about anything just for one chance to fuck someone up.

"For fuck sake, stop crying," Eric snaps angrily, and it's only then that I realise that tears are streaming down my cheeks.

"Shut up," I growl while brushing the tears away, "or I swear, I'll rip your face off."

Eric lets out a bark of laughter. "I would like to see you try, Cupcake."

"Don't. Fucking. Tempt. Me."

He nudges me with his elbow, knowing all too well he shouldn't be touching me when I'm about to lose it. "Go do some target practice." I shake my head. "Why not?"

"The targets don't run, bleed, or scream," I growl.

He chuckles quietly beside me as he watches the next couple on the mat. "You want to go and shoot factionless after training?"

I try not to smile, but it's a battle I can't win. "No, thank you. I'll just throw some kittens from a rooftop."

"Good idea," he laughs, "since we're out of meat, and other groceries."

"Well, give me your card and let me go to the stores, then."

He hesitates for a moment before pulling his card out of one of the many pockets of his vest. "Just let them deliver the stuff. Don't carry anything, Melanie, I'm serious."

Jesus Christ… I roll my eyes at him and yank the card out of his hand before he changes his mind. No matter what the doctor has told him, Eric is absolutely convinced that I've become a helpless crippled leper or something.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Socks and I are strolling past the many shops on the higher levels of the Pit. Every few minutes people stop us to pat Socks while eyeing my still flat stomach. I guess that word is out, meaning that I can forget any chance of bumping into someone and pick a fight with them.

This day is getting worse and worse.

Whenever I buy something in a store and Eric's name flashes up on the cash register, the shop assistants pale and become extremely panicky, just one nervous tick away from bowing to me.

I go to the cafeteria and almost turn on my heels when the entire place quietens down and everyone begin to stare at me. Oh, my fucking fuck! I buy four hotdogs for me and Socks, and all but run out of the place while on the verge of a hysterical tear fest. I let Socks lead the way and sigh with relief once we're outside in the warm sun. He devours his two hotdogs, then finds a stick to play with. I watch him closely as I nibble my hotdogs. I'm not hungry, but the urge to eat is maddening whenever I'm not puking my lungs out.

Being pregnant is really weird, but Junior is growing well, and I'm doing fine beside from growing mad from boredom. There's absolutely no point for me to continue initiation if I'm not allowed to fight. Had I known this…

"I would've still become pregnant," I mumble. We both had known what we were doing, even though we never talked about it until I was too late.

Socks stops gnawing the stick and looks at me with his head cocked to the side when he hears my voice. He looks so funny, with his tilted head and alert gaze full of wonder, that I have to laugh.  
Suddenly he starts to growl while staring at something – or someone – over behind me. I turn quickly while stepping back-wards to him, and see Four standing in the doorway, staring at me strangely.  
Socks comes to stand between my legs, still growling ferociously and I clip his leash on without taking my eyes off of Four.

"So Riley traded Darcy in for you?" he smirks. "Does Eric know? Or are they still sharing their bitches with each other?"

A shiver runs down and up my spine, and I clench my jaw to sup-press a shudder when anger ignites inside me with an incredible force.  
"Why don't you ask them yourself, Tobias? Maybe they can even hook you up so that you can finally find someone to fuck. Or are you still having trouble getting your dick up? Wait, do you even have a dick?"

His arrogance disappears immediately, and is replaced by a hateful glare that would've even impressed my own mother for about one and a half second before knocking him out cold. Choir Boy absolutely hates it when I use his awful first name. Or maybe he's still having trouble getting a hard on.

I honestly can't remember who started that rumour, but it is still my favourite after all these years.  
I keep Socks close to me as I walk past Five-Minus-One, but the dog goes crazy when he suddenly grabs my upper arm. He pulls me to him while I struggle to keep Socks in a lock hold between my legs.

"Careful now," Four growls while glaring down at me. "You're still nothing but a foul-mouthed bitch even after marrying that fucking loser. I never understood what you saw in him, and now you're pregnant of him?"

In one smooth and swift move, I let go of the leash, unsheathe my knife and press it against Four's exposed throat before he can even blink his eyes. "Touch me again, and pray it's me who's going to kill you then," I hiss with venom in my voice and ice in my veins.

He immediately lets go and steps away of me, but I can still feel his spiderlike fingers around my arm. Smirking, and with cold eyes, he slowly raises his hands in mock surrender, but I'm already two steps ahead of him. I can see the tension in his shoulders as well in his legs, and I wonder if he's really about to attack me or just trying to scare me. Whatever he's up to, I'm not going to stand here idly like some bimbo.

"Socks! Riley! _Now_!" I command Socks, and he bolts away as if the devil is on his tail.

People always underestimate me, but only a few know that I almost always come prepared. I've been learning Socks a few com-mands beside Sit and Roll Over. I swear the dog is Erudite. He even knows where to find Eric, but sending him to Eric now would mean the end of Four _and_ my husband, and I'll be damned to see my love getting executed for killing a former Stiff with the name Tobias.  
His father must've really hated him the day he was born. Why else would someone name their kid Tobias?

Four backs away from me with a truly awful smile on his fleshy lips, and I also step back slowly without taking my eyes off of him. I almost wish that he would come after me, but I'm not going to jeopardise my baby or my life for his sorry ass. I keep walking backwards until I can't see him anymore, but I can still hear him when he says, "Till next time, Melanie."

I turn and run through the tunnels until I'm back in the Pit. I hear Socks before I see Riley and he sees me. I run to him and practically throw myself into his arms.

"Melanie, are you alright?" he asks me while holding me tight.

Just then my hormones go into overdrive and a sob escapes me as I press myself against him.

Fucking hormones…

And fucking Four…


	33. Chapter 33

**It's Friday and here's another chapter for you, my muffins. Chapter 33 already! Two more left... Enjoy, review, relax, and have a great weekend! xoxoxo**

* * *

 **Darcy**

My father used to make pancakes every weekend. He would take me to the park on Saturdays because it was the only day he had off and we would just talk or play a game. I had no idea that in the weeks leading up to his sudden departure that he was trying to tell me just what he was planning to do. He had taught me our song on the guitar. He had taught me a lot of things in those weeks that for some reason, at this very moment, I can't recall. He left me his books knowing that I aspired to go to Erudite. He was proud of me. But I was just a nine year old girl. I thought the world of him and I thought he felt the same way about me. But I was wrong.

It's funny how wrong a child can feel without having done anything. But the blame always seems to spin the bottle and it points back at the one who touched it. I thought it was my fault he left. Yeah, sure I had gotten into a few fights at school. I fought with my sister constantly and pulled pranks on her. Every bad thing I had done right down to that day weighed on me the night he didn't come home. And the next night. And the fifteenth night. And every night until Hank made his entrance into my family. My family. My father's family. The family that would soon… not be my family. The day Hank arrived came too early. It was also the day that served as a catalyst for my destructive behavior.

I thought my father would come back. If I made a big enough fire, maybe he'd see it. If I blew something up. Perhaps he would hear the sound. Eventually hatred and love wove together and I wanted him to know that it wasn't fair what he did.

How dare he leave me behind. How dare he surrender his family to another man.

But now… I'm no better than him. I can see why running away, shedding his identity, disappearing in a fishbowl was so desirable. If you leave when everything is perfectly fine it stays that way in your head forever. I don't think my father would recognize me if he saw me on the street. I'm probably still that nine year old girl, desperately following him around. And he's still that man with the masquerade smile and sad eyes. Eyes that watched me come into this world. We'll always be those people for each other and I'll never know who he is now. I don't even know who I am…

I'm standing at the canal again. It's been a minute since I was here last. I mean.. not actually a minute but like… a while. I threw my lighter into the water and now I'm staring down at the water swirling at the edge where the grass and gravel mix. Tomorrow I take the test for the fear landscape. It's not that big of a deal. Four says I'll do fine, as if I give a fuck what he thinks. I have like twenty ridiculous fears that are just fucking stupid when I really think about it. There's no bugs or snakes. I imagine I'll get through it okay. I dip the tip of my shoe in the water and drag it across the grass. I wonder how cold it'd be if I went in. I wonder if I could find my lighter.

"I wouldn't go for a swim in there if I were you."

I look over my shoulder at Four. He smiles and it's almost charming, but I don't feel anything looking at it. I don't even hate him anymore. I haven't been able to feel anything for almost two weeks. No, what I feel for Four is just a growing intolerance.

"Did you need something?" I ask as I turn back to the water and stare down at it.

"No." He steps up behind me and places his hands on my arms. They're warm and gentle, but I'm not fooled. I slowly shrug away from him and look him in the eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I would appreciate if you didn't touch me so casually." I say quietly. I'm supposed to go to Riley's tonight. For a second I think I feel something like excitement roll in the pit of my belly but then it's gone. Replaced by a dull ache that won't go away. I miss Riley. I miss having his arms around me. Four has tried to touch me endearingly over the last week and I just will not have it. I don't know what goes through his head, but intimate is never going to happen between him and I.

I walk away from Four and go to the training room. Riley looks at me and the sharpness in his eyes reminds me of yesterday when he snapped at me in the hallway. But then I think about being in his bed with him again and how great it felt to be close to him. That coldness inside me starts to thaw and I look away from him. I want to cry and run to him. I don't want to be this anymore. This weird fighting machine thing that Four is turning me into. Suddenly I don't feel so well. I approach Riley, "May I go to the infirmary, I'm not feeling well." I mutter.

"Yeah, are you alright?"

"I just feel sick is all."

"Okay, come on, I'll walk you." He looks at the others and then nods for me to follow. I sneak glances at him as we walk. I can see the scar on his right cheek where he was hit. Most of it is hidden by his beard, but it wasn't pretty those first couple weeks.

"How's your jaw?" I ask.

"It's better now that they took that damn wire out." He mumbles.

"Riley, I love you." I say, surprised by my own words. He stops walking so I stop and I look up at him. "You hurt me really bad though."

"I fucked up, Darce," He whispers and tugs me by my sleeve into a side hallway. "I thought I had screwed up your life. But I know now that if you had been pregnant I would have still wanted to marry you. The things I said weren't spoken with a clear mind."

"Still makes me nervous." I say quietly.

"I don't want you to be nervous with me." He whispers and I step closer to him. "Darcy, I need to talk to you about Paige."

"What about her?"

"I decided this morning that I'll go through with it. For Alexis. It'll be the quickest way." He says. I smile even though I feel like my ribs are receding to crush my lungs.

"Good." I say shortly, I can barely breathe and I'm suddenly crushed even though it was my idea. "Alexis will be so happy."

The silence that falls between us is only filled with us staring at one another. His brow is furrowed and even though his beard is back in full bloom I can still see the tightness in his jaw. It's the look in his eyes that gives it away. He's not happy. "Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do to protect the ones we love." I say quietly. My father had said that to me the last Saturday in the park. I had been watching some birds hopping around looking for crumbs and he said that. Out of the blue. He didn't say anything else, but I remember the foreboding weight like the ancient knight's chain-mail armors. He had verbally dressed me in it and I would never be able to take it off. "I'll see you later." I pull my eyes away from his reluctantly and step to the left, going down the hall towards the infirmary.

* * *

 **Riley**

As much as I want to stop her from walking away she said she felt a little sick and I can see that she needs some space. Space. That's all I have. Empty spaces. Aside from Alexis who fills a big part of my life now. And Darcy who seems to be trying to empty the space she took up. I still love her so much that it's flat stupid of me. If she doesn't want me to love her then she should just say so, but she does. I need to fix what I messed up. Somehow I feel like this is bigger than what Eric did to Melanie. Melanie doted on him. She cried and threw tantrums over Eric. Darcy is just… a placid surface and I can't get that big of a rise out of her.

She can certainly get a rise out of me and that's what worries me with her. No one bothers me as much as she does. I'm constantly looking for her in the hallways, cafeteria, the Pit. I'm in an unremitting thought process that revolves around her. When I feed Alexis I'm wondering if Darcy is eating enough. When I'm lying in bed I want her next to me. When I was talking to Paige about getting married I was picturing Darcy. I've never wanted a woman so badly and now I'm torn because I'm marrying one not for love but for my daughter and I'm trying to hold on to the other because I need her love. I feel absolutely pathetic.

I don't remember how my parents were. My mother was fragile during the end of her life but she was no delicate flower. She put my father in his place whenever he needed it. She had a sharp voice with him but never with me. I think my father resented me for it.

I don't know how to act. I didn't have an example of love growing up. My father was a loud, dispassionate drunken misogynous who enjoyed telling me just how useless I was. I was the epitome of 'angry teenager' without my mother.

I think she just got tired of him. I think that's what drove her to kill herself. Her depression and anxiety shoved her into the chasm.

Darcy reminds me of her some times. The kindness in her eyes and the way she uses her hands when she talks. But that's about it. Everything else about Darcy is just herself.

The other night I woke up from a horrible nightmare where she and I were arguing and I grabbed her by the throat. Pinned her against the dresser and pulled my arm back to punch her. When I woke I knew exactly what it was. I was two when my father had done that to my mother while I stood in my crib and watched. He got away with a lot of the shit he did to her. Always coming home shitfaced and pushing her around, saying the meanest shit to her.

When I was almost engaged I thought I had loved that woman. I don't even like to think about her name it just leaves a bad taste in my thoughts. But walking in on her screwing someone else really opened my eyes. I thought I would get angry. I mean… Yeah I was fucking pissed that it was my bed, hell I burned that fucking mattress the same night. But I didn't care about her. Now, Darcy on the other hand, just the thought of her staining someone else's sheets is enough to make me snap that someone's neck. I want her for me. Just me. I've had a hard time watching that Peter guy hanging on her and putting his arm around her. I want to snap Four's arms off whenever I see him touch her too.

I take a deep breath to calm myself down. I'm getting worked up over nothing. I turn the corner to the main hall and pull out my phone as it vibrates.

* * *

 **Darcy**

I get to the infirmary door, but I don't go in. Instead I walk past it and go outside. I think I just need some air. The fresh air doesn't help, actually when I take a deep breath there's a sharp pain in my abdomen and I double over emptying my stomach. Shit. I fumble to grab onto the railing with a hand and with the other reach for my phone. I don't know who I fucking call–anyone!

"I need help." I cry pushing the door to go back inside. Another sharp pain brings me to my knees and I drop my phone to curl up on the floor.

I don't know how he finds me but he's there quick. I cling to Riley and he rushes me into the infirmary. Luck. It is all just luck.

Lucky that I was close enough to the infirmary when my appendix burst. Lucky Riley runs fast. Lucky. The doctor says. I'm lucky.

They take me into emergency surgery and I'm just the luckiest person ever. I don't get an infection. In fact, three days later I'm sitting up in the hospital bed sharing ice cream with Alexis while Riley fills out paperwork. I missed the initial fear landscape test, but Riley says I can still take it because I'm not incapable.

"Are you going to be okay?" Alexis asks.

"Yeah, I'll be okay." I smile.

"Good." She digs her spoon into the ice cream with a big grin. She gets quiet suddenly and leaves her spoon in the bowl to climb up closer to me. I wrap my arm around her. "I don't want you to be sick like my mom." She whispers.

"I'm not sick, Lexi, there was just something in my body that wanted out, okay?" I smile down at her and she nods, wrapping her tiny arm over me.

Riley comes through the door flipping through papers and looks up at us, "Hi, you're good to go, Darcy." He says.

"Sweet."

"Just…" He says and then shrugs, "Maybe you should stay with us for a little bit."

"Yeah!" Alexis chirps. I don't know how I can turn that little face down.

"Okay." I say quietly. And so it goes. I go home with Riley and Alexis so that he can keep an eye on me though we both know I'm just fine. I watch Alexis and Socks while Riley goes to work and takes care of things. And for a few days I'm quite happy. Until I have to do the fear landscape.

I sit in the chair and look around the big room at about twenty or thirty people watching me. I guess Riley really pulled some strings to get it done. It always starts out with immense pain in my hands and I look down at the hundreds of tiny cactus needles in my palms. I had grabbed a cactus as a child while I was chasing a bubble. The pain was strange. …I go through most of my fears fairly quick until I get to the last few. My fears of being forgotten in the form of Alexis and Socks not knowing who I am. That I just have to accept. Not having control in the form of a fire I've created that burns out of control. That I have to save who I can from it even if it means my own death. And lastly, keeping a secret until my death and death itself. This comes in the form of a complete stranger. Just him and I in a room. He attacks me and I fight back, but of course he overpowers me and I end up on the floor with him on top of me saying, "Tell me." Over and over as he strangles me. I know what he wants me to tell him, I refuse to say the answer. But in my head I can't figure out who I'm protecting and when I try to think of what it is exactly he wants me to say I can't grasp it. It's just a secret I can't let out. My vision goes dark and I sit up. I look over at Riley and Eric laughing. Four has his arms folded like he's pouting about something. I guess they saw me hit Four with a brick a few simulations back. Oops.

I pass.

Riley and Eric walk over to me and hug me. Well, Eric pats me on the back with a stiff smile. Then he says, "Melanie wants to throw a party for you."

"What?" I shake my head with a smile, "No, tell her no."

"You want me to tell my pregnant wife 'no'? I don't even get to say no. You're getting a party." He says. I can't answer I'm laughing so hard. The three of us leave the room and we're approached by a man in Candor clothes.

"I'm looking for a Riley O'Bannon." He says and Riley steps forward, the man hands him a thick file and then walks away.

"What is it?" Eric asks as Riley opens it and starts reading.

"Uh, Alexis' grandmother is… Uhm…" I can see his hands start to shake so I take the file gently and look at it.

"She's demanding Alexis be placed with her since Paige is hospitalized. This is uhm, this is an official authority order from the Candor district." I say quietly, I look up at Riley, "You've got twenty-four hours to take her to Candor."

"No, I won't. I–"

"Uh, okay go to the hospital and get Paige," I say as I close the file, I turn to Eric, "You get the paperwork–"

"Paperwork for what?" They both ask.

"A marriage and direct adoption. You're doing this now. I'll call my sister and we'll get this sorted." I say. I look at both of them, "Well? Go." I snap and they scatter like hit pigeons.

I go to Eric's apartment and Melanie answers the door with a noticeable bump under her apron. "Hey," I smile and walk in, "I need you to…bake a cake."

"Why?" She narrows her eyes.

"Because Riley is getting married in a matter of…" I look at my phone, "Uh, I'm gonna say twenty-three hours."

"What?"

"I'll explain after I make a few phone calls." I say, "Where's Alexis?"

"She's napping with Socks."

"Okay, good."

I step away from Melanie and pull my phone out, dialing my sister's number. It's not saved but I do have it memorized.

"This is Danielle–"

"Dani, I need you to recall a report sent out this morning for Riley."

"Darcy?"

"Yeah, now can you please do that for me?"

"You–Uh–hang on.. What's his last name?"

"O'Bannon."

"Okay I see it. This is… Darcy, this is regarding child custody."

"Yeah, I know." I say. "It's his daughter and he's marrying her mother–"

"Darcy, I can't recall that. It's already official."

"Okay, you know what he's adopting her so…there's going to be issues when that time frame is up. So… recall it. It'll take sixteen hours to get through that it's been recalled–"

"How do you know that?"

"Because I was a high mark student." I roll my eyes.

"Okay I'll.. uh, I'll send a recall in."

"Thanks." I end the call and start calling people around the compound.


	34. Chapter 34

**The End is Nigh, my muffins... Please try to enjoy Melanie and Eric's last chapter. Leave a review! See you on Wednesday xoxox**

* * *

 **Eric**

I barely dare to breathe as my hand travel slowly over her lower abdomen. Melanie stirs and lets out a soft snore, and I quickly press my lips against the warm soft skin of her neck and hold still until I'm certain she isn't going to wake up. There will be hell to pay if I disturb her in her sleep. She is now fourteen weeks pregnant, her second trimester has of-ficially started - and her morning moodiness is epic.

I've always prided myself in being fearless. I don't fear others, but Monster Mom in the morning is someone I have come to dread these past few weeks – and with valid reason. It was such a relief when her morning sickness finally passed.  
Melanie started gaining some much needed weight on all the right places, her baby bump finally began to show, and I was allowed to enjoy my cup of joe in the morning again before going to work.

Life seemed good again, until I woke her up one morning to ask her where she had put my tablet the evening before. That morning I learned that my wife knows how to throw a punch and to take down someone within seconds without even bothering to open her eyes.  
But what is more worrying is that her aim is flawless.  
No matter how far away I'm standing while trying to dodge anoth-er mug or plate flying towards me, she always manages to hit me – hard. That same day I signed my wife up for sniper training next year.

Throughout the day Mel is funny and happy as ever, and quite tireless while taking care of Alexis and Socks – just not during the first two hours after waking up. One minute she would rage and roar, only to shower me with kiss-es and desperate hugs the next, brought to tears for hurting her man just because he had burned her toasts or touch her belly with his cold paws…

Melanie hums, then sighs and presses herself closer against me, her delicious ass unintentionally grinding against my groin, evoking certain feelings I don't want to feel just yet.  
The sex has been beyond amazing these past few weeks. To say that we're insatiable would be a fucking understatement. I even slept a few nights at her brother just to regain my strength after falling asleep during several meetings.  
It would be wise to get her on birth control as soon as the baby is born or else she will be pregnant again within weeks. I don't think I would survive another pregnancy that soon.

I listen to her breathing, slow and deep, while carefully ca-ressing her baby bump. It's still too early in the pregnancy to feel the baby move, but I enjoy these quiet moments nonetheless.

"Good morning, sexy," she mumbles suddenly as her hands find mine on her bump.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Cupcake," I say quickly in between kisses in her neck.

"You didn't," she yawns. "In about two hours Pup and Kitten will be here again so that Darcy can take her final test."

"You really enjoy having Alexis and Socks around, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," she laughs sleepily. "I missed them these past few days. I even told Riley that the other girls are welcome as well."

"Even Harley?"

"Yes, even her," she giggles, "though I still can't believe you're cheating on me with a five-year old."

"I'm not anymore," I chuckle. "She dumped me for a six-year old bastard who has a fake dragon tattoo in his neck. Ruthless…"

Melanie laughs softly while rubbing my arms. "Ah, you poor bastard."

She turns slowly and lies flat on her back, then stretches lazily like a cat. I take the opportunity to latch my lips onto the nearest nipple and suck it gently, all too aware that I'll probably end up with a black eye within seconds. Challenges are what make life interesting, but she seems to be in a pleasant enough mood this morning, and I'm willing to take the risks.

I smirk when she begins to giggle and runs her fingers through my hair. She even arches her back and holds my head in position while moaning softly. Immediately I know that she's either up to something or wants something of me, but frankly, I don't care right now. First things first. It doesn't take long before I'm buried deep inside of her from behind and on my way towards bliss. Still, I have to know.

"So, are you going to tell me?" I asks her afterwards.

"What?" she yawns.

"Melanie," I warn her. "What is it that you want from me?"

Her eyes are bright with mischief. "Aside from faction domination? Your credit card. Mine is chronically lacking points."

I let out a bark of laughter while getting up. "I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind serving free water at your party."

The moment I'm standing beside the bed, something hit the back of my knees and I suddenly find myself face down on the floor.

I jump up and… a pillow hits the back of my head – hard.

"Goddammit, Mel!" Another hit. "Stop it!" And another.

I try to see where she is while blocking the attacks, but she is too fast for me. One moment she's standing on the bed, the next she seems to be behind me while hitting me nonstop, and there's absolutely nothing I can do to make her stop without the danger of hurting Junior – and she knows it, which only pisses me off more.

"Melanie, for fuck sake, stop it!"

 _Whack_.

"Gimme your card, then," she snaps with blazing eyes.

"No."

 _Whack_.

Melanie!" I growl as I take two steps towards her. She darts away before I can grab her and the fucking pillow.

 _Whack_. "Your." _Whack_. "Card." _Whack_. "Scrooge."

'FINE!" I roar.

She eyes me suspiciously when I walk to my end table, grab my wallet, and throw it to her. She catches it with one hand while still holding the pillow tightly.

"Thank you," she smiles sweetly as she pulls my card out of the wallet before throwing it back at me. "That would be all, husband."

Yep, I walked into that honey trap once again. Fucking unbelievable…

* * *

 **Melanie**

"And what about this one?" my mom asks.

I look up to the tunic she's holding in front of her, then nods quickly before I return my attention to the other clothes I'm folding and putting in the cardboard boxes at my feet. She comes to sit beside me and in the corner of my eyes I can see her watching me intently.

"What's up, mom?" I ask her after a quick glance into her direction.

Her hand lands on my back and I didn't realise how tense I was when I start to relax beneath the soothing circles of her warm hand. I lean into her touch and close my eyes for a moment.

"How you doing, Mel?" she asks me quietly.

"I'm fine," I smile to her.

"No more morning sickness?"

"Only when I overdo it, but Eric can have his coffee in the morning again without me going into puke mode," I laugh.

Mom chuckles softly, but her eyes remain guarded and worried. "And how about Four? Did he try and bother you again?"

"I haven't seen him in weeks. I've been too busy looking after Socks and Alexis, a friend's kid."

She lets out a sigh of relief, which makes me frown. I only told Riley and her what had happened, and since that day both of them have been watching Four's every move with the help of their impressive network. He's been too busy with the transfers and helping Darcy during the evenings to bother me, but still my mom seems worried, and that is so very unlike her.

"Mom, what's wrong?" She gives me a smile that I don't believe for a second, no matter how wide and bright it is. "Mom?"

"Just be careful, okay?" she tells me for the millionth time while touching my baby bump. "Four really hates Eric, and if anything happens to the baby or you, Eric will be devastated."

"Four might be crazy, but he isn't that stupid, mom," I point out, even though goosebumps erupt all over my skin. "He knows that no one fucks with a Wilson and lives to tell it."

She smiles briefly. "True, but you're also a Coulter now, Mel. You were too young to fully understand what was happening, but I remember the day their instructor Amar died. Within hours Four started spreading the rumour that Eric had to do with it, that he had killed Amar. Since that awful day, Four became obsessed with Eric. Just watch your back at all time, okay, sweetie?"

I vaguely remember it, but still after all these years I get chills when hearing about it.  
I never asked Eric about the accusations because we all knew that he had nothing to do with his instructor's death: he had been with Gunner and the rest of our family.  
But I also know that a few people still believe the rumour to be true, mostly Four's friends, and people who couldn't see what an obsessive, disturbing and insecure fuck Number Boy really is.

Over the years I've had my confrontations with him, and I never underestimated him, but except from taunting me and the usual payback after I had pulled one of my pranks on him, Four never crossed the line.  
People feared Eric for a valid reason, but everyone in the faction is terrified of my mother's wrath. She has proven her deadliness during her years as unit commander before she and dad inherited the bar.  
But crazy obsessive persons don't care about all that. If my mom is worried, I should be really extra careful.

I pull her to me for a tight embrace. "I will, mom, promise. Just don't tell Eric, okay?"

"Do I look like an amateur?" she snorts in my ear.

"Please let that be a rhetorical question!" I giggle, only to scream with laughter when she puts my head in a headlock and gives me a good old fashioned noogie that hurts like hell. "Mom, your rings!"

She lets go of me and tries to give me an apologetic smile that creeps me the fuck out because it makes her look like an evil witch just before stuffing a kid into a burning oven or something, especially with her skull rings and long black nails.

"So, about the party," she asks me later over a cup of tea.

Just then Eric walks into the kitchen. He gives me a kiss on the lips, then plants one on my mother's cheek before grabbing the nearest chair near me.

"What party?" he asks me.

"The party for Darcy," I snap, rolling my eyes at him.

"If I find any of the initiates in my house, you better find your own place," he warns me with a vicious glare that makes me and my mom laugh.

"The party is in the Inferno, grandpa," I tell him while my mom grabs a beer for him out of the fridge. "That's why I'm here. Do you think we should invite the Stiff as well?"

" _We_?" he asks incredulously, and another cackle escapes my mom. "It's your party, not mine. I don't want anything to do with it."

"When is Darcy's final fear landscape?" mom asks, looking between us.

"Tomorrow," Eric answer after a gulp of beer.

"Okay, when and how many?" she then asks me. Eric leans against the back of the chair and sip his beer while his other hand rests on my belly.

"Either tomorrow evening or the next," I say. "And I've invited nearly all of the Dauntless-born and her friend Peter. I'm not sure if I should invite any of the other transfers, but I'll ask Peter about that."

* * *

Twenty minutes later we say goodbye to my mom with the party set for tomorrow evening and the entire bar reserved for the party.

"You want to eat in the cafeteria for a change?" Eric asks me as we stroll towards the Pit.

I shrug. "Depends what they have on the menu today."

"Meatballs."

My mouth begins to water and I immediately pick up the pace, practically dragging him with me. I don't kid with meatballs. Meatballs are life!

"Let's go, then, man!"

Suddenly I feel something strange in my belly, just below my bellybutton. It feels like an itch, but it's not on the skin – but much deeper. I frown and come to a halt as my hand goes to my lower abdomen.

Eric lays his hand on mine and looks at me, puzzled and slightly worried. "What's wrong, Mel?"

"I have an itch," I say slowly while trying to pinpoint the eaxct location of that weird feeling with my probing fingers. "No… It's not really an itch. It's… more like a… a twitch, you know?" And then suddenly realisation hits me. "OH, MY GOD, ERIC!" I shriek. "It's the baby!"

The awestruck look on his face is too much for me when he realises what I'm trying to tell him, and I start to laugh and cry at the same time. "You're feeling it move?"

"Yes!" I sniff with a wide grin. "Like it's at a freakin' rave in the Pit! Oh, my God, this is really real, Eric. I'm really going to have a baby…"

Eric chuckles as he gently pulls me against him. I cling onto him and begin to weep in earnest. "Happy tears?" he asks me, and I can only nod, overwhelmed by it all. "Let's go home, Cupcake. I'll just let them deliver all the meatballs you want."

"In other words, you don't want anyone seeing your pregnant wife stuffing her face with meatballs while crying and cackling like a hag."

Eric barks out a laugh. "Your words, not mine," he says while pointing a finger at me. "I'm not about to end in yet another hormonal trap of yours, Mel." I grin up at him and he cups my face with both hands. His thumbs brush away the tears before his lips come crashing down on me. "Now, let's get you and Meatball home."

* * *

Every now and then I look at Darcy while she's making one call after the other. I don't mind making a cake for Riley's wedding since I have already two in the oven, both big enough to feed an entire Abnegation orphanage. I'll just go crazy with the decorations.  
But something doesn't feel right with her announcement.

I remember her plan for Riley and Paige, but for quite some time no one had brought it up again so I had assumed that both Riley and Paige had rejected the idea. But that isn't what bothers me. Riley should be marrying Darcy – not Paige – and he would be if it hadn't been for my own stupidity.

I let out a deep sigh and shake my head.  
Well, at least they're back together again thanks to her appendix. And all this is to provide Alexis with a home and a father. I wonder what he's going to do with the rest of his girls.

I busy myself making the frosting and filling. I'm glad my mom talked me out of making snacks and finger food as well because I'm already tired – and it isn't even noon yet. And Meatball is all over the place in my belly, making me wanting to curl beside Pup and Cub and enjoy the acrobatics of my baby.  
I inspect the fridge, then try calling Eric to ask him to bring fresh strawberries, but apparently my phone has decided to give me attitude.

I open it and check everything, then put it back together, but still it crackles as soon as I dial Eric's number. I reopen it, remove the Sim-card, and throw the phone in the trashcan before I lose my temper and trash the whole place, scaring Pup and Cub to no end.

"Mel, can I borrow one of your hoodies?" Darcy asks me suddenly.

"Sure. Which one?"

"The one with the white skulls on the back."

"Okay, let me grab it for you," I say. "Can you get the cakes out of the oven for me then? Just put them on the breakfast bar. And oh, could you text Eric that I need four boxes of fresh strawberries? My phone just died on me."

She's already typing the message as I walk towards the bedroom. I quickly check Alexis and Socks, both sleeping the sleep of the not-so-innocent on top of the comforter. I'll have to change the cover before Eric gets home. He hates dog hairs on the bed. The second I walk back into the living room and look at Darcy, I know that something has happened – something horrible.

She's as pale as a ghost and shaking while listening to whoever is talking to her on the phone. She looks at me, and the devastation in her green eyes almost literally knock me over.

"She's dead, Melanie," she whispers to me with trembling lips as soon as she ends the call. "Paige just died…"

I gasp and stagger backwards like someone just punched me in the stomach. "No…"

Somehow I make it to the nearest couch and I fall on it while the world is spinning around me. They waited too long. They both knew that Paige didn't have much time left, but still they had waited too long. And now it was too late…

"I have to go," Darcy mumbles. She rushes towards me, snatches my hoodie out of my hands, and just walks out of the apartment without another word – leaving me alone with a sleeping girl who has just lost her mother.

The front door opens again and for a moment I think it is Darcy. But it's Eric, and I burst into tears when I see his grim face. The news has hit him just as hard. I stand up and rush to him, launching myself into his arms.

"Paige is dead," I sob against his chest.

He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly through his nose. "I know, baby. I just talked to Riley. He's on his way back."

"What are we going to do now? I-I can't tell Alexis this…. I just can't… And Darcy just left—"

"Let Riley handle this, okay?" Eric says quickly. "We've got bigger problems at hand. Where is Lexi?"

I pull away from him and glare at him. "What problems?"

"Where is Alexis?" he asks again in a cold tone.

"Napping, with Socks. Tell me, what happened?"

Eric pulls me with him to the couch from where we both can keep an eye on the closed bedroom door, and then he tells me that Alexis' grandma had filed for custody, and that Riley has to take his daughter to Candor within twenty-four hours.  
He then explains that Riley has no legal parental rights whatsoever, even when a DNA test will prove that Alexis is his daughter. As it turns out, Riley should've acknowledged paternity when she was born, but Paige and the other mothers of his daughters had refused to put his name on the birth certificates.

"It doesn't matter that he saw her and the other girls every week, Mel," Eric says quietly. "Any judge will say that it's too little, too late. This is exactly why I married you as soon as you told me you were pregnant."

I nod slowly while trying to fathom what has just been said. "But aren't there any other options left? There has to be something!"

Eric shook his head with smouldering eyes, his jaw tightly clenched. "If the grandmother is cooperative, he might be allowed to see her every year during Visiting Day."

I let out a bark of laughter, not beieving what I'm hearing. "Jesus Christ, Eric! What a fucking mess!"

"Tell me about it," he snorts humourlessly. "Look, I know you want to stay here and help, but things could get ugly when he returns, and I don't want you and Meatball near him if he loses it."

I nod. "I-I understand. I'll go to mom and dad, then. Maybe mom can stay with you and Riley. She knows him better than any of us. She'll make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Smart thinking," Eric says as he gets up. "I keep forgetting they grew up together. Let me call her."

He goes outside to make the phone call and I walk to the kitchen on shaky legs. Speaking of making a phone call: I'll have to make a few myself to call Darcy's party off. I look at the two cakes on the breakfast bar and then at the mess in the kitchen, and shake my head. My eyes wander all over the place. I don't even know what to do or where to begin.

This is just so unfuckingbelievable! Instead of celebrating Darcy's membership, we'll be celebrating Paige's life tonight or tomorrow. Now that's one party I would gladly miss. Eric returns and I don't fail to notice the glint in his eyes.

"Change of plan," he says. "Melody think it would be wiser for Alexis and Socks to join you."

I sigh with relief. "Okay, good! I'll go wake them while you put the cakes and the rest of the stuff in the fridge. I'll figure out another time what to do with the cakes. First things first."

* * *

Less than ten minutes later I'm walking hand in hand with Alexis and Eric while Socks is galloping around us like a gazelle. I have told Lexi that we're going to my mom to make our own pizza and the poor little thing is practically dancing as we make our way to my parents' home.

Mom is already waiting for us outside the apartment, and I'm so relieved to see her that I begin to laugh. It takes her five seconds flat to win over Alexis and before I know it the two of them disappear into the kitchen while Marcus Jr and Inferno squeal with excitement when they see Socks. Eric seizes the opportunity and pulls me into the hallway leading to the bedrooms, and kisses me hard.

"Call me if anything happens, okay?" he says sternly as he rubs my belly. " And get some rest. Let the twins take Socks for his walk."

"I will," I promise him as I cling onto him, not ready to say goodbye just yet. But I have to. "Now, go."

"Yes, ma'am."

Just then my mom calls us. Eric kisses me one last time and then he's gone. Dread fills me and tightens my chest, but I put on a smile when I go to Alexis to help her with the pizzas. It is going to be one hell of a long night…


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35, people... There is one more left after this one... This one is EPIC! But also sad and ... well... just read it. Please enjoy and review, and get ready for the last one of Friday... *sniffles* No, I'm not crying... got something in my eyes...**

* * *

 **Riley**

I don't know how I even make it to Eric's door, my knees feel so weak. My hands are shaking. I knock softly but then I slam my fist against it. I do it again. My anger is rising. Why did I fucking wait so long?! Eric opens his door and I enter seeing Melody right off. I can tell she knows. My whole body is shaking with the thought of losing my little girl.

"Where's Alexis?" I ask barely keeping my voice level.

"She's not here." Eric says.

"Where is she?" I grab him by his vest and pull him close. "Where is my daughter?" I snap.

"Riley, you need to calm down."

"I won't let them take her, Eric." I growl.

"You can't stop them." He says weakly. "Riley–"

I see red and throw Eric to the floor. "I need to see my daughter, I need to tell her that her mother is dead."

"Riley." Melody steps forward and I look at her. She's holding her hands up like I'm a wild animal. I am right now. One that wants to tear into everything. "Riley, sit down, honey."

Eric stands up and dusts himself off. "Are they at your place?" I snap at Melody and then head for the door, but an arm wraps around my neck and Eric pulls me down.

"You're not in a good state of mind to talk to Alexis or be near my wife." Eric struggles to hold me down.

"Get off me, Eric!" I yell, my voice is louder than it's been in a while. "I'm taking her away."

"You can't do that." He growls at me. I'm too angry for his choke-hold to have a big affect on me.

"Alright!" Melody snaps loudly and we both jump at the sound. "Both of you get to your feet, you're acting worse than my twins."

When we get to our feet Eric's phone rings and he answers it then looks at us, "I have to go take care of something."

I'm left with Melody. She'll take me down if I try to leave and I don't want her to hurt me.

"Sit." She orders me and I drop onto Eric's couch like a child being scolded. "You have five daughters." She says shaking her head slightly, "Why am I not surprised."

I feel numb as my eyes slide across the floor. I can't lose Alexis.

"I need her, Melody." My voice is barely above a whisper. "If they take her away I'll never see her again.

"I know, sweetie." She nods.

"All my girls mean the world to me–but Alexis, she's sensitive," I shake my head, "I know her best. She needs to be with me."

"Riley, maybe you can talk to her grandmother and work something out–"

"There's no working anything out with that woman." I snap. "Paige didn't deserve the way she was treated by her." I may have not loved Paige but I appreciated her level-headed ways. I sigh heavily, dragging a hand down my face. I feel like my nerves are crashing, "Where's Darcy, I need her."

"I don't know where she is." Melody says.

I pull my phone out and call her but it goes straight to her voicemail. I can't believe this fucking day. This is un-fucking-believable. I can't have Alexis. I can't have Darcy. Where the fuck is my dog?

I stand up and growl in frustration, I'm gonna lose my fucking mind. I text Darcy.

I need you. Where are you?

Melody stands and touches my arm and I try not to flinch away, "Why don't we go to my place and you can see your daughter. But you gotta keep your cool, man." I take a deep breath as I look her in the eyes and nod. I can't scare Alexis.

As we walk to Melody's I shake my head, "How am I going to tell her, Melody?"

"I don't know." She mumbles.

I pull my phone out as it vibrates and I answer it, "Hello?"

"Hey, what's up?" Darcy.

"I need you. Can you meet me at Melody's?"

"Uh, yeah. I can't stay too long though. Like five minutes."

"That's fine." I stare at the ground as I walk. What is she doing that's so important?

"Okay, see you in a few then." She hangs up and my desperation grows.

Melody and I walk around the corner just as Darcy comes around the other corner down the hallway. She waves and I walk a little faster.

"I need to talk to her for a second then I'll be in." I say to Melody.

"Okay, I'll leave the door unlocked."

Darcy and I stand in the hallway and my hands are shaking. "I heard Paige died." Darcy says.

"I don't know what to tell Alexis." I'm trying to hold myself back from hugging her and becoming a puddle at her feet. "I.. Darcy, I can't." I shake my head, "I can't tell her."

"Do you want me to tell her?" She asks. I stare at her, I don't want to make her do it, but I legitimately feel like I'm going to break down. Darcy reaches up and touches my face. "Hey, why don't you come in and sit on the couch and I'll talk to Alexis, alright?"

I nod numbly and let her lead me into the apartment.

* * *

 **Darcy**

Riley sits on the couch and I go into the kitchen where I find Mel, her mom and Alexis. Socks hops up and runs over to greet me. "Hey, bud." I scratch his head, "Mel, I need to talk to Alexis, can I take her in your old room?"

"Uh, yeah sure." Melanie looks at me questioningly and press my lips into a line and nod slightly. Alexis hops down and takes my hand with a smile.

I set her on the edge of Melanie's old bed and kneel down in front of her. "Lexi, you remember how your mom has been sick?"

"Yes." She speaks quietly and I reach over grabbing a teddy bear for her to hold. She hugs it tight.

"Well, your mom tried her best to get better but the sickness was making her too tired and it was hurting her a lot." I touch her face and wipe away a tear.

"She died, huh?" She mumbles, her bottom lip is trembling and it's gonna fuckin' kill me.

"Yeah, baby." I suck back my tears, "She couldn't take the pain anymore."

I hear a small sound behind me and I turn to see Riley wiping at his face. He comes forward and sits on the bed next to her and she crawls into his lap. His arms wrap around her and I look at him. He's trying to hold it together. He's trying.

"I've got to go." I whisper as I stand up.

"Can't you stay?" He asks. God, I want to. I really do. I shake my head.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Riley**

I lie down on Mel's old bed with Alexis and hold her for the last few hours. I explain to her what's going to happen. That her grandmother is going to come and get her. I try to tell her that she'll be happy and everything will be okay but I feel like I'm just lying to myself. We stay on the bed through the night and she falls asleep, exhausted from crying. Eventually I fall asleep too but I spend most of the night waking with a jolt and checking for her. Making sure she's still in my arms.

By the time morning comes I feel like I haven't slept at all and I my heart sinks when I get the call to bring my daughter to the front gate.

Melody and Melanie walk with me down to the front. I don't know where Eric has gone and right now I could really use him by my side.

I hold Alexis tight for a second as I stare at the people from Candor, "Alleycat, your grandmother is here for you." I barely get the words out as I see Norma get out of the car. She looks as bitter as her personality. With a tight lip scowl.

"No, daddy." She whispers into my neck, "Don't let her take me. I want to stay with you."

"I know, sweetheart, but you have to go with her."

She clings to my shirt when I try to pull her away, one of the Candor men step forward and grabs her and it's all I can do not to smash my fist into his face. "Daddy!" Alexis screams, her little arms slide down the length of mine as he takes her. Her little hands grabs at fingers and I watch her. She's crying and I feel my eyes burning. This is the worst day of my life.

"You can't take her!" I hear suddenly. I turn and see Darcy running down the path with arms full of paperwork and a ton of people behind her. Eric being one of them. I look back to the Candor and another one of them steps forward.

"And who are you?" He asks.

"I…" Darcy's gaze slides over to me, I can see the dark circles under her eyes. She looks like she hasn't slept in a week. She blinks slowly and then she looks at the man directly, "Am one of the Faction attorneys as of… fifteen minutes ago." She smiles, she's still beautiful. "And if you remove that little girl from Dauntless territory I will file… uhm kidnapping," She shrugs, "why not… kidnapping against your whole faction." She shoves the pile of papers into Eric's arms and brushes her hair out of her face.

"You're just a kid." Norma says.

"I'm Eighteen. I'll be nineteen next month, thank you, and I was top of my class in Candor for legal matters and uh…sciences. But none of that matters. What you're doing is going against one of our old laws," I look at Eric and he shrugs, "You are taking one of our babies. And for reproduction matters faction babies cannot be taken from their faction even if both parents are uh… you know, gone. You're taking a Dauntless baby without consent, Paige never agreed to it and she defected from Candor for a good reason, didn't she?" She narrows her eyes on Norma and I watch the old woman stutter.

"I d-don't know what you're talking about." she snaps. "That law can't be valid anymore."

"It is still in effect." Darcy shakes her head and turns to Eric pulling out a purple file. It's fucking old. I can tell. She opens it and flips through the pages then hands it over to the Candor man. He starts reading through it.

"And you know exactly what I'm talking about. I have here," Darcy turns to Eric again and digs through the papers pulling out a couple envelopes, "Letter's that you sent to Paige. One after she defected from Candor and one," She holds them up, "That you sent to her after she gave birth to Alexis."

"There's no way you're a faction attorney." Norma rolls her eyes, she is holding Alexis' head to her shoulder so she can't look at me.

"Actually she is. Max and I signed her in and her sister signed as well. Her sister who is a faction attorney for Candor." Eric says, I see Danielle step out from him.

"This is still valid." The Candor man looks up from the file and looks at Darcy.

"He's right. And you cannot take the girl." Danielle holds her chin high, "Unless you want to stand in for an enormous legal battle between two factions and be the one who pays for the fees."

"I am her grandmother." Norma snaps.

Danielle turns her whole body to Norma and tilts her head slightly with a smirk, "Tell me, how old is the girl?"

"She's… six."

"She's five." I say, everyone looks at me. "She's five years old. Her birthday is in two months."

"Riley," Darcy steps forward now, "Tell us all the daily routine you and Alexis have. From morning to bed time. And also what is her bedtime?"

"I… I uh, wake up early to make her breakfast. Then I wake her up and let her eat in her pj's because she's usually a little grumpy in the morning. After breakfast we get dressed and brush our teeth. She's been brushing her own teeth for two weeks now." I look at Darcy and she nods for me to continue, "After that, I drop her off with my best friend, Melanie. She's the wife of my longtime friend, Eric. He's another leader."

"And what do they do all day?" Darcy asks.

"They bake and do crafts, they take care of the pup." I say, "When I get off work I pick up Alexis and take her home. She tells me about her day as she takes a bath. Then I get her ready for bed. I brush her hair and braid it…" I can feel my voice getting weaker as I stare at my little girl in Norma's arms. She's crying still. "I get her to bed about 8pm unless she's having trouble because she misses her mother. Then I tell her stories or I rub her back until she falls asleep. I let her sleep in my bed if she wants but she's slept in her own lately because Socks sleeps by her bed."

"Who is Socks?" The Candor man asks.

"This is Socks." Darcy says and Melanie brings him forward, he looks bigger to me suddenly. He appears like he's smiling as his tongue hangs out of his mouth, "He's a German Shepherd. A very smart and protective breed."

"That's my doggy." Alexis cries, she's managed to turn her head enough to see the dog.

Socks pulls at his leash to go to her and Norma steps away.

"We have a whole faction standing behind this man." Eric says. "If you take that girl, I will be the first to file against you."

"And then I will." Darcy chirps. People start saying "And me." I turn around and see a whole crowd has gathered.

"Like I said, you can't take her." Danielle speaks. "That's an expensive lawsuit on your hands. And the girl is safest here. Every person in this place knows who Riley is and they love him. Alexis would never know abuse or neglect. Or harm."

"After all, you did call Paige a worthless piece of trash," Darcy says holding up a letter, "And you said in this one that you hoped her baby wasn't healthy, the very baby you're holding… actually that's me putting it nicely. Your words were a little bit more graphic. So it would appear you have some anger issues."

"Let me see those." The Candor man says. Danielle takes the letters from Darcy and holds them up for the man to see. She won't let him take them physically. "That's… definitely your signature, Norma."

"So." Darcy clasps her hands together and walks over to the bitter old monster. Alexis reaches out for Darcy, "If you don't hand that baby over to me right now, I will use force as a means of protection which is my job as a Dauntless member to protect those who cannot protect themselves." She says, "Which means, give me the child or I'll break your fucking face."

Norma's jaw drops and Darcy takes Alexis without trouble. I watch my daughter cling to Darcy tightly, "Have a nice day, Norma." She smiles, turns on her heel and brings Alexis back to me.

"Darcy, I'll be seeing this report to the bin myself." Danielle says as she hands the letters back. "You won't be having any other issues."

"Thank you, Dani."

"You can see yourselves out of the Dauntless district, I'm sure." Eric says stepping forward with his arms folded. "Or shall I escort you?"

Darcy tugs on my sleeve as I'm holding Alexis tighter than I ever have. I look at her and I'm amazed. I thought she had abandoned me but she was rushing through every motion she could find to stop this.

"Come on." She whispers, "I need a nap."

* * *

 **Darcy**

We get back to the apartment and Eric, Mel, and Socks join us. "I have a surprise for you also." I say as I open a folder and pull out all the birth certificates of Riley's girls. I hand them over to him. "They've all agreed to let you put your name on the certificates and as acting guardian for Dauntless orphans," I raise my hand with a grin, "I am giving you permission to sign Alexis'."

"We have a orphanage guardian?" Riley looks over at Eric.

He shrugs, "We do now."

"I've been busy." I say. "Dauntless Child Custody Attorney and Orphanage Guardian weren't things you guys had before." I sigh, "Needless to say my right hand is cramping from signing so many papers and I think I might have fallen asleep while walking here."

Riley stands up and hugs me suddenly, he's trembling. "I love you, Darcy."

"I love you too, Riley." I whisper.

"Darcy, how did you even get those letters?" Melanie asks suddenly and I smile big.

"Uh… I may have broken into Paige's apartment and… torn the place apart within ten minutes." I mumble nodding slightly, "Sorry."

"How'd you know they'd be there?" Riley asks.

"Well, I'd talked to Paige a few times and she had mentioned that her mother had written horrible letters to her. I wasn't really sure if she'd kept them or not. So I was really winging it." I say. I had visited her a few times without any of them knowing. I knew Paige didn't want her mother to take Alexis just by the way she talked about her.

They all laugh and I feel Socks lick my hand. I pet him lazily as I look at Alexis tuckered out sleeping on Melanie's lap, her legs on Eric's lap. She's safe. "I'm going to go sleep now for like… ten hours." I say quietly. I feel dizzy and I really do need to lie down.

* * *

 **Riley**

I watch her leave and I still feel like we're not where we're supposed to be with each other.

"She was up all night," Eric says, "She had read every legal thing concerning child custody between factions. I think she might've drank two pots of coffee just to stay awake."

"That's where you've been?" Melanie smiles proudly at Eric.

"Well, someone had to be her temporary secretary and get her more coffee. She can be very bossy." he laughs.

"I need to go talk to her." I say quietly, "Could you two–"

"Yeah, yeah." Melanie rolls her eyes with a small smile. "Go talk to your superhero girlfriend."

"Thanks." I smile and touch Alexis' hair once before I leave. I walk down the hall and get to the stairwell. I hear talking a few flight below so I stop and listen.

"Four, you need to fuck off, seriously." It's Darcy. "No, I won't do that anymore."

What is she talking about?

"You wouldn't dare." She growls. "You're a real piece of work, you know that? One of these days you're going to get what you fucking deserve…. Fine. Yeah, whatever I'm coming."

I hear the door slam on the level she's at and I lean against the railing. I wonder what she's doing with Four.

I turn to go back to my apartment but I stop and go down the stairs, I come out of the door just in time to see Darcy go around a corner. It's getting late. I follow her quietly and we end up in one of the old hallways. I stay in the shadows and freeze when I hear Four's voice.

"Took you long enough." He says.

"Shut up." She snaps, "What did you want?"

"You know what I want." I hate the the smirk in his tone. I can hear her sigh with heavy irritation and then… I hear the sound of something like a belt being undone. A cold chill runs down my spine.

"Ugh, Four, not so hard, you fucking dick." Darcy whines. I turn and go back hearing her say his name just once more before I turn a corner and get out of earshot. My whole body feels hot with rage. I wonder how long she's been fucking him.


	36. Chapter 36

**Here we are, ladies and gentlemen... the last chapter of Dacry & Melanie. What started spontaneously as a reaction to a prompt, turned into a co-writership that lasted for 36 chapters. Because this story started with Darcy, I wanted it to end with her. I would like to thank my co-writer Diplulmaris-Antartica for granted me one of my best adventures so far. I've enjoyed our endless chat-sessions, the emailing back and forth, the staying up late (there are eight hours between her and me since she lives in the States and I in the Netherlands).**

 **I have laughed till my belly hurt, I have gasped in horror, and I have shed a few tears as well during the course of this story, and I will never forget this amazing, thrilling, wonderful collaboration!**

 **I like to thank you all as well for reading and liking our tale, for all the reviews and private messages I received. Thank you all so much for your support and the love you have showed us. You are the GREATEST!**

 **Enjoy this last chapter. Much love! xoxoxoxox**

* * *

 **Riley**

I come out of my bedroom in the morning and see Darcy sitting at the breakfast bar. She doesn't turn to look at me.

"Darce?" I say quietly, but she doesn't answer.

As I walk around into the kitchen, flipping the light on I stop dead in my tracks and stare at her. Her empty gaze never falters; she stares blankly ahead. Her lips are closed and her hands are closed around a mug. Her hair that has grown just past her shoulders is soaked and strings together. But what is alarming is what is covering her. Red. It is covering her arms, I can see smears on the mug. I look around my kitchen and see the red on the fridge handle. I open it and look inside. Orange juice. She got some orange juice.

"Darcy?" I turn back around and look at her. "Darcy?" I snap a little louder and she seems to jolt, she looks at me.

"Oh, hello, Riley. I think I dozed off." She says hollowly. You dozed off with your eyes wide open?

"What…" I don't even know what to ask. My eyes wander over her again.

She looks down at herself, "It would seem I've done something." She says. Her voice is strangely soft. "I think you'll find it completely justified." She clears her throat as she glances into her mug. I watch her turn and slide off the stool. She walks calmly into the kitchen and pulls something out of her pocket. I see now that she's not soaked. It's dry.

"It's blood." She smiles politely as if she has read my mind. "It's Four's blood. I killed him." She whispers and her smile flashes with a tint of pain and I see her eyes water for a moment. She holds the object out and I look down at the recorder. "He was going to hurt Melanie. He was going to hurt her baby." I carefully take the recorder and set it on the counter. "Don't bother asking where his body is because no one will ever find it and I'll never tell you what I did." She turns the sink on, "I'll never tell anybody."

My eyes slide away from her and I look around the room as she begins washing her hands.

"I think I should call Eric–"

"Everyone doubts me." She says suddenly. "Everybody has doubted me at some point. They think that I'm not strong enough. I'm not smart enough. I'm not enough. But the truth is… is I'm too much." She shakes her head and I watch her hair move stiffly. "I'm too much when I open up. I'm too nice. I'm too this. I'm too that."

She sounds insane.

"Play it." She says, turning and looking at me. "Play the recording."

"Darcy, where's Four?"

"Didn't you hear me? He is dead." She whispers, her eyes look around but land on me. How she can speak so calmly is very alarming. "You haven't spoken to me in two weeks. I know why. You think that I was sleeping with Four. I'm Candor, Riley not blind and it's very easy to kill a man."

"Maybe you should sit down." I say as I reach into my pocket for my phone.

"Darcy?" Horror washes through me as I look past her and see Alexis. Darcy turns around and kneels down. "What is that?"

"It is Jello, baby girl, I was trying to make jello and I sneezed. How about you go watch some tv and I'll be in in a little bit."

"Okay." Alexis smiles and runs into the living room and I wish I could bask in ignorance and believe it was jello too. Darcy stands up and looks to me again, she looks a little more human now.

She speaks quieter, "Four was messed up, Riley and if I hadn't stopped him he would've hurt Melanie. He was sick." She says. I look to the recorder and the blood on it. Four's blood.

"Go take a shower." I say quietly as I pick the device up. "Put your clothes in the trashcan in the bathroom." I grab the blood smeared mug and rinse it off.

"You're not going to report me?" She whispers.

"What did I just say? Go take a shower."

She turns and goes without another word, shutting the bedroom door behind her. I look once more to Alexis sitting on the couch in her pj's with Socks sitting beside her equally interested in the cartoon. Finding my headphones in a drawer I step into the coat closet and close the door, putting one headphone in I press play.

First I'm annoyed to hear Four's voice as he talks. He's speaking to Darcy. His voice seems to get further away and what he's saying is just plain arrogant. He talks about Eric. He talks about me and then he starts on Melanie. He insults Darcy, and just goes on and on with what he wants to do to Melanie.  
He hates her because she's Eric's. He's obviously jealous.  
Then suddenly he starts talking about her baby. Saying unsavory things that even disgust me, though I've witnessed and done my share of horrible things, until suddenly there's a sickening crunch.

I hear Darcy sob audibly just once. I can picture it, her covering her mouth with the realization of what she's just done. Then …there's more sound. Thumping. Crunching. Darcy mumbling incoherently to herself, I hear her say Melanie's name.  
"Sick of all this bullshit..." she hisses, hitting him again with whatever her weapon was. "Sick of you. You think you can–" She is speaking through a clenched jaw, each word seems to be an assault "-Take. Away. My. Family." The recording goes fuzzy for a second and it's quiet. "Not on my watch."

The recording cuts out and I stare at the darkness. I clear my throat and remove my headphone. Four _was_ acting weird anyway. He can be assumed dead or a deserter.  
I reach up numbly and pull the chain turning the light on. I reach up past the shelf, pushing a couple shoe boxes aside and take off the vent cover. Blinking tiredly, I set the recorder inside and place everything back.

"I'll be out in a little bit." I say as I kiss Alexis on the head.

"Okay."

I step into the bedroom and hear the shower going as I walk slowly to the bathroom door I can feel my heart pounding. She really killed Four. I press my ear to the bathroom door and listen as I wrap my hand on the doorknob and turn it, slowly entering. I tug the curtain slightly and look in at her scrubbing her arms. I can see scars of welts and fading bruises. It was him hurting her all those times.

"I know you're there." She says quietly. "I can feel your presence."

"You cleaned up the mess, right?" I ask.

"Yeah. I cleaned it up."

"You're certain?"

She turns and looks at me, "Riley, for eight hours I was on my hands and knees cleaning. I was covered because …what I did with his body.. what was left of it.. . It was messy."

"Alright." I push my sweats off and step into the shower, grabbing my shampoo and squeezing more into her hair. She closes her eyes as I work her hair and rub behind her ears.

"You're the only one, Riley," she says before stepping under the water and rinsing away the pink bubbles. I get the soap and start washing her body, I don't have the patience to be careful with her bruises and she doesn't seem to care.

The longer I touch her the more I want her. So I take her. Against the wall. And I don't care about protection this time. The only thing I hope for is a little boy.

* * *

 _ **some time later**_

 **Darcy**

I give mad props to Mel for going through this and not killing Eric. Either she was patient or he was very durable. I'm lying in bed staring down at the massive bump. It looks massive to me. 38 weeks of watching my body change. Riley comes in and Socks bounds up onto the bed. He sniffs my legs, he sniffs the bump, and then he licks my face. His way of saying 'hi, mom.' He's full grown now and I see Alexis come in with her art project from school. She'll be seven next week.

"Hi, mommy." She smiles Riley picks her up and sets her on the bed. "I made this for you." She holds the piece of paper for me to see. She points to each stick figure. There's my first mommy, there's daddy, there's you and there's the baby and there's Socks."

"I love it, we'll put it up on the fridge." I smile and accept her hug. She's been waiting as patiently as she can for this baby to get here.

"She wants to go see Mackenzie, so I'm going to drop her and Socks off at Mel and Eric's then it's you and me." Riley smiles.

I wait as Riley takes them. He insists on taking me out on a date. I told him I didn't want to go very far from the house so he said he would surprise me.

I'm still sitting in bed when Riley comes back. He crawls onto the bed and kisses me. "You know, when I married you I was scared you were going to change your mind."

"Change my mind about what?"

"Me. Us."

"Nothing could change my mind about that." I say quietly, "Besides... Socks is attached to you and I couldn't take him away, it would break his heart."

Riley grabs me and pulls me closer, "Brat." I only laugh and accept his rough whiskered kisses.

"Riley, what are we going to name this little boy?" I ask as I rest my head against his hip and he looks at me with pure joy.

"I don't know. What do you like?"

"What about Xander?"

"Xander..." He thinks about it for a moment and nods. "I like it better than Eric's suggestion."

"Well, Eric would name every baby Eric if he could," I roll my eyes. It's a good thing he and Mel had a girl.

"I like Xander," Riley smiles. "Xander O'Bannon." He squeezes my leg. "Come on, lets go."

I push myself up and feel like I'm a thousand pounds. I stand up and make my way to the closet to get a sweater but I don't make it that far before I think I piss myself.

"Riley, I did it again." I say quietly as I look down. I can't stop it though. "Or..."

"What?"

"Actually.. I think my water just broke," I say as I feel the muscles tighten slowly below my belly button and in my lower back. "Yeah, it's... it's time, Riley."

"Okay. It's time." Riley says this about five times before I snap at him.

"Riley! Get the car and call Mel!" I shout. He snaps out of his panic and does as he's told. The contractions start and I try to remember what Mel told me about breathing, but really I just want to scream. I brace a hand flat on the wall and wait. Riley hurries back in and scoops me up, of course he's not going to try and get me to walk to the car.

I scream in the car. It's necessary. He holds my hand and I'm sure he's lost circulation in his as I squeeze.

At the hospital Riley stay by my side. I don't think anything could make him leave me. He holds my head up as I push. Two hours seems like five minutes. When I hear the baby cry I let my head fall back against Riley's hand and I look up at him. He watches the nurses as they clean the baby and I can see the apprehension in his face. But as soon as one nurse walks over holding our son Riley points to me. She hands the baby to me and I look down at him. I can't believe I've done this. In a good way. I can't believe it in a good way. I mean I can. Oh whatever. I'm happy is what I mean. He's perfect.

Xander Riley O'Bannon.

When I hand him to Riley he takes him carefully and the look in his eyes is a mixture of fear and wonderment. They watch each other.

"Hi," I hear Riley say softly, "I'm your daddy."

* * *

 _ **Three months later**_

Riley talks to him a lot. Every night after I sing Lexi her song, I walk into the bedroom to find Riley holding Xander, talking to him. As I leave Lexi tonight, I look at Socks nestled next to her on her bed. He's her best friend. I check the locks and turn off lights then walk into the bedroom and set the guitar against the wall as I listen Riley speaking softly.

"You gotta lot of big sisters, I'll explain some day how that happened. But right now what you need to worry about is timing. If you could cry whenever you hear the words 'princess daddy' you'll save me from afternoon tea parties. Mommy is better at them anyway. Do you know how I look with a tiara on? Not good. It clashes with my beard. I don't look good in yellow and glitter." He whispers, Xander coos softly, "You gotta help me, little man, we need to stick together. Socks is a deserter, he falls for the pb&j sandwiches and he's useless."

"Okay, enough chit chat." I say as I slide into bed, "It's bed time. For little boys and big boys."

Riley is reluctant every night to put Xander in his crib so he bides his time and cradles him in his arms as he bounces gently. Xander falls asleep each time and then Riley carefully puts him down and climbs into bed with me. "Did you know that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen?"

"Are you just saying that because you want sex?"

"Yes, and also it's the truth." Riley smiles as he pulls the blankets over us.

 _ **The End**_


End file.
